


Ohana

by snowprincess



Series: Shacking up [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: AU Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Married Sex, Original Character(s), Original McGarrett-Williams children, Pregnant Danny, Protective Steve McGarrett, Relationship Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 05:16:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3557414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowprincess/pseuds/snowprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Danny go through the growing pains of starting their family and learn about the intricacies of their relationship and parenthood the hard way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of the sequel to Starting Over. Please read and I hope everyone enjoys.

Steve sat bolt upright in bed. “I thought you said your water broke.” He blinked sleepily, not really looking at anything. The room was dark except for Danny’s bedside light.

“That is indeed what I said, Steven.” Danny looked perfectly serious, and faintly disgusted as he sat there, arms crossed.  
Steve checked the bed sheets around him, looking rather confused. “Danny, you’re sitting in a huge wet patch. What’s going on?” Steve’s voice was rising in panic.

“Oh my god. Did you take on board any of what I just said, Steve? I…”

“I heard you just fine, but if your water just broke, we should get going. Come on.” 

“Okay, his brain’s online. Now you’re making more sense. You get everything ready. I’m getting cleaned up first.” Danny made comical shooing movements which made Steve laugh despite the situation.

Steve reached for the bag that Danny had ready and packed, for what seemed like forever, and now it didn’t seem like such a ridiculous idea as it was a bit of a mad dash. Once Steve was satisfied that everything was in place, plus a pillow for Danny’s back, he looked around him. All he needed was Danny. Where was Danny, he wondered. He jogged back into the house.  
He found him still in the shower. “Danny, we have to go. Are you okay?”

Danny slowly turned and just then, looked very young and frightened. “This is real. This is it. We’re having a baby. Oh my god, I’m actually scared, Steve.” 

Steve took Danny’s towel from the rail and helped him dry off. “Yes, this is real. We are going to have a beautiful baby.” he said as he scrubbed at his fiancée’s skin, being careful to keep the hint of panic he was feeling out of his voice. He knew this would worry Danny and that was the last thing he wanted.

Danny seemed to snap back into action. “C’mon Steve. You ready?” He looked Steve up and down, mouth dropping open. “Christ, Steve, go get dressed. You’re still in your sleep pants! This kid’s not going to wait very long.”

Steve ran around the house checking that they hadn't forgotten anything, while Danny waddled out to the car. He kept his eyes closed all the way to hospital, partly to not bitch at Steve for running red lights, which he was sure he was doing and partly because he was in some pain.

He knew how to breathe, but that only helped so much and he was glad when they finally arrived at the hospital. Steve rushed to the passenger side and helped him up, picking him up at the same instant and carrying him through the glass doors.

Everything went very quickly then. Danny was whisked away in a wheelchair and Steve found himself alone. He decided to leave a message for Chin and Kono.

Danny’s pregnancy, though not unheard of was still not quite the norm. He asked for Steve, who stayed with him right up until his contractions became too much for him. “This is all your fault! I should’ve never slept with you! I can’t do this! Never again!”

“Danny?” Steve took a step closer. 

“Take another step superSEAL and I swear, I’ll punch you in the head!” Danny was in an all out rant and Steve was sure he meant every word. 

The nurse smiled and shook her head at Steve. “Don’t be too concerned. This is perfectly normal, though I’d suggest you stay out of striking distance, just to be safe.” Steve merely raised an eyebrow at her comment.

Danny looked at him then and Steve wondered if perhaps he was possessed as he did a one hundred and eighty degree attitude change and sweetly asked him to come closer. “Why are you so far away?” He held out his hand for Steve who cautiously edged closer. Steve pulled Danny into a hug just as he had another contraction. Danny had a painful hold on Steve’s hair and when the contraction was over, Danny had some of Steve’s hair clutched in his hand. The nurse smiled and walked off, leaving Steve wondering if he would survive the night.

Thirty six hours later, Danny and Steve became the proud parents of baby Alexander Scott. While Danny was sleeping, Steve ran into Rachel, Kono and Chin on the way to the nursery.  
“Hi boss. We came to see your baby. How’s Danny doing? Nurses wouldn’t let us see him.”

Chin handed him a cigar which Steve looked at in confusion. “What were you raised by wolves, Steve?”  
Steve gave him a sharp look. “You’ve been spending too much of your time around Danno.” He stepped up to the window and pointed his son out to the others.

“Congratulations Steve. He is lovely.” Rachel was smiling. “Grace is so excited. She can’t wait to meet her brother.”

Steve was afraid to hold his son, afraid that he might drop or crush him. He was tiny, with dark hair and, eyes, Steve was sure looked at him with disapproval. Rachel was very helpful and very soon he was confidently handling his son and changing a diaper under the nurse’s supervision. He took the baby to Danny’s room and luckily he was just waking up from a nap.

Steve was always surprised by how beautiful Danny looked when he was just waking up. Clear blue eyes focused on him and he was amazed by how much his son resembled Danny in that way. “You’re awake. How are you doing?” 

He handed the baby off to Danny. “I’m sore like you wouldn’t believe. I don’t think I want to be doing this again anytime soon.”

“We did this together Danny. He’s absolutely gorgeous and he has your eyes. Thank you for giving us this.” He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Danny’s.  
The kiss became a little heated and Danny lightly pushed at Steve’s chest. “Whoa there big guy. Even if I wanted to, I can’t do very much after what I’ve been through. Sorry, babe.”

“I don’t want you to do anything. I’ve just missed being close to you. We’ve been so busy and now… This is what we’ve been working towards.”

Danny was allowed home four days after the birth and his mother had flown in to help him with the baby for the first few weeks. He didn’t feel that he really needed that much help as he had done this before had and some experience, but he was unprepared for how tired he felt. Steve also went back to work a week later and they saw less of each other.

Though he didn’t resent Steve, he was feeling rather isolated. He spoke to his mother about it one day. “I feel like this is all there is now. I want some kind of balance, mom. I love Alex, but I can’t spend all my time with him. I miss my life and my job. I feel all alone.” Danny dropped down onto the couch, looking exhausted. 

“I went through the same thing with you kids. I argued with your dad all the time and I realized that he couldn’t be around more because his job didn’t allow it, so I joined a group of young mothers. We discussed anything and everything. Most of the time we’d just go for coffee or food, you know. I made friends, though. That’s how I met your aunt Stella. What I’m saying is, why not do the same? I’ll help you look around for a group in the area.”

“Okay, where’s the harm, huh?” he smiled at his mom and the moment he reached for his juice, the baby started to cry.  
His mom seeing his shoulders sag slightly, took pity on her son. “I’ll get this one. You rest for a while.”

 

That evening, Steve trudged in, looking the worse for wear. He took off his torn t-shirt and threw it in the trash. He went straight to the kitchen and started on dinner. He went upstairs to the nursery and found Danny fast asleep in his rocking chair, the baby still in his arms. He took the baby from Danny, careful to not wake him, but he opened his eyes as Steve turned back to him.

“Hey, you hungry?”

Danny nodded and wrapped a hand round the back of Steve’s neck, pulling him down into a slow kiss. The moment Steve put a hand under Danny’s shirt, he tried to wriggle free and pushed Steve away.  
“Danno, what’s wrong. You’ve been doing this a lot lately. Talk to me.”

“I feel fat.”

Steve sat down on the floor next to Danny’s chair. “Okay, first of all, you’re not fat, but I understand that you look different to what you’re used to. Just tell me what I need to do to make this better for you.”

“You can’t do anything, Steve, but I just don’t feel very sexy. Look, I feel ridiculous even saying that word, but it’s how I feel.” Danny looked miserable and close to tears. He was tired and didn’t know what he needed to feel better.

Steve was concerned over Danny’s state of mind and made a decision, though it would only work if Danny agreed. He really wanted him to see a professional.

Danny decided to take his mother’s advice and make new friends. He joined a group of new parents. He was one of two men who were part of the rather large group. They would meet at each member’s home or go on activity days to the park. He felt much lighter and happier after a day out and Steve immediately noticed the change in him, but kept his distance. He gave Danny the space that he needed and was sure that he would come to him when he was ready.

This didn’t happen though. Steve arrived home early one day and noticed one of the mothers paying particular attention to everything Danny said. It was subtle, but it was there. She was very pretty and Danny seemed to enjoy the attention. When everyone had gone, Steve brought up the topic. “Danno, who was the pretty blonde you were talking to?”

“Jessica. She’s great fun.” He scrutinized Steve for a moment and turned to picked Alex up. “You’re turning green Steve. We’re just friends.”

Steve wasn’t amused. “Does she know that? She was almost in your lap, well, if Alex wasn’t, she would have been.” Steve didn’t want to upset Danny or begrudge him his friends and the words had left his mouth unintentionally.

Danny used his earlier words against him. “You said to tell you what you could do to make things better. This is what you can do for me. I need you to leave this alone. Jessica and I are friends. Can you please let this go?”

As the baby became a little older and managed to sleep through the night, Danny’s mood improved. Steve helped as much as he was able and everything seemed to go well except for that one obstacle. Danny was still shying away from intimacy and Jessica was getting on Steve’s nerves.

Danny had started going to the gym and had regained his confidence which Steve was glad for, but Danny was still distant. He decided that it was time for them to rejoin the human race and have a night out. To his surprise Danny agreed, as he was up to now unwilling to leave the baby alone for very long. Rachel had graciously offered to babysit as Grace was happy to help out.

“Why’d you invite us along brah? Didn’t you want to be alone with Danny?” Chin and Steve were sitting at a table watching the bar as Danny had offered to get everyone’s drinks. Kono was a little off to their left, dancing.

“Truthfully, I think he wouldn’t have agreed to come out if it felt too much like a date. Now? No pressure.” Steve was watching women flirting with Danny and though it annoyed him, he was also proud of the fact that Danny was his and he wanted to keep it like that.

When one of the women moved into Danny’s personal space, Steve sat forward. “What the fuck does that guy think he’s doing?” Danny was leaning against the bar as the guy sidled up behind him.

Steve was up and out of his chair, heading straight for the man who was standing directly behind Danny. He grabbed hold of his wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back, slamming his forehead down on the bar top. “That, you freak, is mine! You do not touch! Now fuck off.”  
Danny whirled round, eyes going wide when he saw what was going on behind him. “Steve, what the hell?”  
Chin had come up to help Steve with the guy, who slunk off without a word of complaint. Danny dragged Steve away, demanding an explanation. “What’s going on with you?”

“I could ask you the same thing. That creep was about to grab your ass, but you wouldn’t have noticed this because you were too busy talking to Miss Congeniality’s boobs!”

“Fuck you Steve! I don’t have to put up with this!” Danny turned away and headed for the exit. Steve stood there, unsure of whether to go after Danny or to give him space. He’d allowed him room to breathe and it got them nowhere so he came to a decision, just as Danny disappeared from view.

 

END CHAPTER ONE


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny work on some problems.

Steve rushed out after the other man and caught up with him at the car. Danny who was moving with surprising speed, stopped next to the driver’s side. He growled in frustration suddenly and slammed his hands down on the roof of the car.

It was then that he turned and noticed Steve standing there, a few feet away, dangling the keys from a forefinger.

Neither man spoke at first. Danny really just wanted to go and get Alex and go home, but he had the feeling that Steve wanted to grill him about his behavior. He decided to get into the car and get it over with.

Steve only spoke once they were well clear of the club. “I’m tired Danny. I don’t know what to do anymore because it’s always the wrong decision. We’re not making any progress. I think we need to talk to a professional. Something is obviously very wrong here. I’m not assigning blame for whatever it is. What I can tell you here and now is that I love you and I want us to have what we had before.”

Danny looked straight ahead, but Steve could tell that he wasn’t unaffected by his words. “Alright, babe. Let’s do it. I’m not giving up the parenting group, though.” 

The group meant Jessica and Steve had already identified her as part of the problem.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

A little over two weeks later the two men found themselves in their therapist’s office. They didn’t really make any progress as Danny was obviously bothered by something that he did not want to talk about. He was silent all the way home and as they pulled into the driveway, the other members of Danny’s parenting group were just arriving. Steve clenched his jaw as he got out of the car and stomped off. By the time Danny got into the house, Steve was going for the back door, ready to go for a swim.

When Danny spoke, he couldn’t believe his ears at the words. 

“That was quite rude, ignoring everyone like that. Those people are my friends.”

Steve stopped and turned. “Everyone in that living room is your friend, Danno. Everyone except for Jessica. Do you realize how humiliating it is to watch you flirt with her?”

“Jesus, are we back to that?! What is wrong with you? How is this about you? It’s always about you!” Danny was shouting and Steve just wanted to get away from him. He realized that they weren't able to get beyond this and that he might have to face losing the man he loves.

He walked out the back door without another word and went swimming. It gave him time to think about what he should do. 

Later as he stood on his beach drying off, Danny came out with Alex on his arm. Steve leaned over and kissed his son, bitterly thinking about how from a distance, they would look like a happy couple and how he wished that were the case.

They didn’t speak at all that evening and later, after Alex was settled down for the night, Danny called him on it. “So this is how it’s going to be now?” 

Steve was at the sink, clearing away the evening’s dishes. “I’ll move out for a while. I think it’s the best thing to do right now. This isn’t working, Danno. I’m sorry.”

“What?” Danny looked completely poleaxed. “Oh my god! So this is how you plan to live your life? Things get a little rough, the SEAL runs away. What? Didn’t they train you to deal with relationship issues?”

“Don’t push me Danny.” Steve had stepped into Danny’s personal space.

“No one can push a coward!” Danny poked Steve in the chest. “You need no help running away!”

“Don’t fucking PUSH me!” Steve was red faced and murderously angry and the last words were shouted right in Danny’s face.  
“Or what, Steve?” Danny realized that he was causing further damage, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Those are fighting words and I think maybe you should sit this one out SEAL because you might get hurt.”

The very next moment, after a flurry of movement Steve had Danny pinned against the wall. “I said, ‘Don’t!’.” He squeezed Danny’s cock painfully hard and as the other man cried out, he bit down on the tendon on the side of his neck.

“Steve, fuck!” Danny tried to push away from the wall, but Steve held him in place with an arm over his chest. With the other hand, he started undoing Danny’s pants. 

“Is this what you need Danno?” Steve asked as he wrapped a hand around Danny’s cock. Steve kissed Danny deeply, cutting off any further protest for the moment.  
Danny’s head fell back against the wall and he gave himself up to things he hadn’t felt since he and Steve first started out. He didn’t notice that Steve was no longer restraining him and he was urgently thrusting into Steve’s hand.

Steve in the meantime, had taken his hand off Danny’s cock, picked him up and placed him on his back on the kitchen table. Frustrated by all the buttons on Danny’s shirt, he ripped it off him sending buttons skittering across the floor.

Danny gasped and a moment later, tried to push Steve away. “Steve, please, no. I’m hideous.” Danny had turned his head to the side and wouldn’t look at Steve. 

“What? Danny, you are so beautiful. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?” He leaned over Danny and kissed along his neck.

“How can you stand to look at me? I… I don’t know what to do about these.” He motioned towards his chest.

 

“God, Danno, is this what you were so worried about? You are absolutely gorgeous.” He lightly kissed a nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He flicked his tongue over the bud, making Danny arch up off the kitchen table. 

“Ss… sensitive. Breastfeeding isn’t a fun experience. Steve, I’m not a chick. I don’t know what to do with these.” Danny looked up at Steve, looking sad and defeated. “If you want to leave, I won’t blame you.”

“Have you been listening to me, sweetheart. You are beautiful and I want you so much right now. Your chest will be normal again soon. Danny, I love you.”

Danny reached up for Steve who kissed him deeply, plunging his tongue into Danny’s mouth, making it clear what he wanted to do to him. He worked his way down to his chest. Danny’s nipples were so sensitive, he felt as though there was a direct line from his nipples to his cock. Steve started stroking him and set up a relentless rhythm between his aching cock and chest. He ran his tongue over a nipple, sucking strongly at the same time running a hand over the head of Danny’s cock. He wasn’t going to last long. “Steve, please…”  
He pressed a knuckle against the area just below his balls and Danny was gone, spilling over Steve’s hand. Steve kissed Danny and held him as he came down from his orgasm.

The moment Danny got his breath back, he pushed a hand down between them, undoing Steve’s zipper and pulling him out. Steve gasped when a warm hand wrapped around his cock. “Oh god, Danno! Been too long.”

The angle was awkward, but he started stroking him steadily, drawing moans from the other man. 

“Come for me Steve. God, babe… I missed you.”

Steve was breathing hard and trying desperately to hold himself up over Danny. He was talking constantly now and when Danny listened carefully, he noticed what Steve was saying. “Danno… please… Danno… please…oh god!” 

Steve heavily collapsed on top of Danny. “Steve you okay?”

The other man was struggling to catch his breath and began to sob. “Steve? Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m good. I thought I was going to lose you.”

“I’m sorry for not trusting you with this. I thought you’d hate the way I look.”

“What was all the flirting about? Why’d you do it, Danno?”

“I… My body had changed so much and… I have boobs, Steve. I’m a guy! I think I needed to maybe remind myself of that and I’m so sorry for choosing such a crappy way of doing it.”

“You do not have boobs and if you do something that stupid again, I’ll kick your ass.” Steve kissed the top of Danny’s head.

Just then, Alex woke up and Danny sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “The minute I get my one guy sorted, the other one demands attention. At least he has good timing.”

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Roughly three weeks later, Danny quit the parenting group and he and Steve began making concrete arrangements for their wedding. Danny was tucking into his lunch and eyed the malasadas sitting on the kitchen counter. “I want as much help as possible, Steve. I don’t want a huge and complicated affair, just some friends and family.”

“Okay. You decided when you’re coming back to work yet? I like my partner, but he’s not you. He’s actually crazier than I am and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing.”

Danny didn’t answer immediately and this worried Steve a little. “I don’t know if I can leave Alex with a sitter. I’m just glad that I have some time before it’s an issue.”

“We’ve made a good initial short list and if you’re really not sure then we’ll interview a few more people. There’s also the nanny cam for us to look at while we’re at the office, so he should be fine. I feel it’s important for you to get back to work.”

Danny reached for a malasada which made Steve give him a funny look. “What’s with your face?”

“Nothing’s wrong with my face, but are you sure you want to eat that?”

“I’m just glad I can actually look at one of these now without wanting to hurl. I’m celebrating.” He gave Steve a cheerful smile and took a huge bite.

 

\-----S-D-----

Danny sometimes took the baby to the office to see Steve as he sometimes missed his bedtime. On one such day while they were sitting in Steve’s office, his office phone rang. He handed the baby to Danny, but the moment he answered, the line went dead. He looked at the phone in confusion. “This is so irritating!”

Danny gave him a questioning look at which Steve shrugged. “It’s been happening on and off since last week. It’s annoying when I have to rush in here.”

Danny felt slightly uneasy, but said nothing as he felt that maybe he was being paranoid. “We should look into it, though, especially if it continues.”

Kono looked into the office then asking if she could hold the baby. “I’ll take him for a walk. I’m sure he’s bored with the two of you.”  
“We are very interesting and colorful, thank you very much, but you can have him, just make sure he doesn’t stay in the sun too long.” Danny handed the baby over and sat back down.

 

“Steve, I know that this really random, but what happened to that Cal kid? I never thought to ask.” Danny couldn’t stop himself wondering about the call hang ups. They never had crank calls until the time before his kidnapping. He was more careful nowadays and didn’t want any nasty surprises.

Steve frowned. “The judge went easy on him because his family situation was pretty messed up. Do you think it’s him making the calls?” Steve had set down his pen and gave Danny his full attention. He did not want a repeat of what had occurred at the shopping mall and worrying about his fiancée and child was part of a normal day for him.

“I don’t think so, no. I don’t know why I just thought of him. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing he would do since he got off lightly. We should maybe look at your current cases.” Danny was suspicious of the calls though and decided to follow up on what happened with all of the people who were arrested at the ranch as well.  
It was such a random thought and Danny always tried to follow hunches.

 

END CHAPTER TWO


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has a reality check.

The calls to HQ stopped and were forgotten, but Danny had already started looking into all the people arrested at the ranch. It put him onto an idea and soon he was working as a consultant on HPD cases. He liked the fact that he could work as little or as much as he preferred and still be able to be with his son. On occasion he would assist Steve, but he didn’t want to broach the topic of going back to work full time.

He’d seen the unhappy look on Steve’s face when he evaded the question with a smart comment. He was starting to feel guilty and torn. He wanted to be with Steve, but he also didn’t feel emotionally ready to leave Alex.

Danny had taken to only going out with the baby when someone else was with him. Today, though, he had to stop by the supermarket and it was while he was talking to the check out girl, that he thought he saw someone watching him. However, when he looked, there was no one there. He was able to take care of himself, but he was more careful since his kidnapping and lately he felt uneasy. Once in the parking area, he had to juggle the baby and shopping bags and it was then that someone walked up behind him. He whirled round and startled the other person. It was merely another parent, who was offering him a helping hand. Inwardly he laughed at his silliness.

Danny accepted the offer and after a short pleasant, conversation, drove off and failed to notice the lone figure watching him from the other side of the parking area. 

 

\-----S-D-----

 

When he got home he put Alex in his play pen and went straight into the kitchen. After giving the baby his snack, he went to his desk to retrieve his notes and laptop and noticed that some things were out of their usual place. It was odd, but not enough to be overly concerned.

That evening at dinner, he asked Steve about it. “Were you home while I was out today?”

Steve looked up sharply. “Why’d you go out on your own? At least hold off on that until we’re sure there are no more crank calls.”

“You said those had stopped, but you didn’t answer the question.” Danny stopped eating and sat back in this chair.

“I wasn’t in the area today, so no. Why do you ask?”

“As incredible as it sounds, I think there was someone in the house while I was out.” Danny tried to keep his voice even and not worry his partner, but it looked as though Steve was done with his dinner.

“Are you sure? Christ, sorry Danno. Of course you’re sure. Forget I asked. What makes you think that?”

“The files and notes on my desk were disturbed. Looks like someone was searching for something. Steve, I’m worried.” Steve held his arms out for Danny who went to sit on his lap. In the beginning it bothered him that he liked sitting with Steve, but he has long since stopped caring.

Steve instinctively wrapped his arms around Danny and nuzzled his neck. “We’ll look at a new security system.” The words were spoken into Danny’s hair. “We have Alex to think of so I’m leaving nothing to chance. I’m going to ask a unit to patrol the area as well. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, I’m just glad to be included in the process, unlike last time.” Danny smiled at his fiancée, but he was tired of living in a state of paranoia.

“I promise you that I won’t anything happen to you or the baby, Danno. I wish you’d come back to work. I’d worry a hell of a lot less.” 

Danny tried to do what he always did lately, which was to avoid replying, but Steve kept going. “When are you coming back, baby?”

Danny let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I don’t think I can do that, babe. I’m not ready to leave our child with a stranger. I feel like he won’t understand why I’m leaving him behind and I’ll miss him.” Danny felt relieved the moment the words left his mouth. He felt Steve tense for a moment and he was overcome by a wave of guilt. He felt like a rat for making him wait so long for an answer, only to let him down.

“Is this what you prefer to do? I mean, as in a career change?” Steve sounded as though he was afraid of what Danny might say.

“I don’t know. For now at least, I think this is where I need to be. How do you feel about that, babe?”

“I have to accept it. I respect your choices, but I’ll always worry if I don’t have you with me.” Steve felt that Danny was somehow delaying the inevitable and hoped that he would return to work sooner rather than later. 

The expected date of Danny’s return came and went and Steve was thankful that neither Chin nor Kono noticed. He was on his way home one evening when Chin caught up with him. “Danny should’ve been back last week, brah. What’s going on?”

“I don’t think he’ll be back. He’s doing pretty well as a consultant and he’s able to be with Alex.” Steve cringed inwardly as he sounded unconvincing to his own ears.

“So does that mean we’re going to be subjected to that nutjob of a partner of yours indefinitely? Steve, he’s making the team look unstable.” Chin seemed annoyed.  
Chin said nothing further and walked away before Steve could reply. Steve was concerned about the rest of his team now as well as Danny. He didn’t think that his decision to remain home to care for their son would have this kind of effect on the rest of the team.  
After Chin’s outburst, Steve was noticing, his partner, Dave’s erratic behavior more. He was most annoyed by the fact that he had to admit that they were very similar and that he was forced to see things from Danny’s long suffering point of view.

He nearly punched Dave in the face one day when he commandeered a car during a foot chase and then drove it into a store front, causing huge damage. He didn’t tell Danny as he knew the inevitable lecture would be excruciating. His partner was unorthodox and never did anything by the book, but he had this gift for staying just on the right side of wrong so they were never in any serious trouble and their solve rate was high.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

A few weeks had passed with Steve and Dave arguing and getting in each other’s way, destroying public property around the city in the process. The governor was unhappy with the task force’s conduct and Steve was in a bad mood as he had to explain their reasons for tearing up half the city.  
Chin and Kono avoided Steve’s partner as much as was possible which put a real strain on everyone.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Danny was in the living room watching Alex and sifting through case notes. He decided to take a break and was seated on the floor, playing with the baby when a message came through from Grace.  
It simply read: ‘Uncle Steve’s on tv!’

He typed back. ‘What? No.’

Curiosity made him search out the tv remote control and turn on the television. He stared in disbelief as the live feed from a media helicopter clearly showed Steve and his partner about to turn a hostage situation into a full on shoot out. “Crazy bastards!” Danny said as he hurriedly got up from the floor.

“Alex, baby, I’m so sorry, but Danno’s going to have to cut your playtime short. We’re going on a little field trip, okay?” He scooped his child up in his arms, grabbing the baby’s bag, his gun and keys and heading for the door.

Danny was so disturbed by what he saw that he couldn’t get his fingers to work properly. It took him three attempts and a deep breath to get his son strapped into his car seat and settled down. “We’re going to rescue Daddy. He’s being extra silly today and we’re going to save him from himself.”

Danny tried to keep a lid on his anger and he was more than a little afraid that something awful might happen. In Steve and Dave’s partnership, he realized that Steve was the sensible one and that was a real worry.

When Danny arrived on the scene, traffic had come to a standstill and people were huddled behind their cars and some had taken shelter in nearby stores. Steve and Dave were in the thick of things. Danny had Alex balanced on one hip and had the baby’s bag in the other. HPD officers around him stared and he ignored them walking in Steve’s direction. 

Kono was there already and Chin was just arriving. Chin acknowledged him and gave him a smile that didn’t seem very friendly. Kono joined Danny, immediately taking baby. “Danny, why’d you bring Alex here?”

“I didn’t exactly have time to get a sitter after I saw what Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were up to. How did things get this out of control?” The moment he asked the question, he realized he didn’t want to know the answer.

“Danny, they’ve been on a kind of collision course with disaster for weeks now. The governor is pissed because of the bad publicity and there’s no one to temper their unhinged behavior. It was only a matter of time before this happened.” 

When Danny reached into the baby’s bag, Kono gave him a disapproving look when she saw what he pulled out. “Jesus, Danny! You’re as bad as Steve sometimes. Grenades in your car and guns in baby bags. What next?”

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but Kono held up a hand. “Forget it, brah. I don’t want to know.” She walked away with his son to stand at a safe distance with Chin.

Danny braced himself and walked the few feet to where Steve and Dave were still arguing behind their car. He crouched down next to them and gave Dave a withering look that had the desired effect of making him leave.

“Steve, what are you doing?”

Steve who had been watching their hostage taker, turned and seemed pleasantly surprised to see his fiancée. “Danno, what are you doing here?” He frowned then and looked to the left then the right of Danny. “Where’s Alex?”

Danny pointed over his shoulder to where Kono stood. “Steve, I’ve just heard about what you and that loose cannon have been up to. It looks to me like the two of you are hell bent on destroying every part of the city that is worth seeing. What is going on?”

“He didn’t yell at me when I fucked up. In the beginning I thought it was great, but then he got completely out of control and I’ve had a battle on my hands trying to pull him back. This was the final straw. I’d rather work alone.”

“You won’t have to.” Danny looked serious, but Steve wasn’t sure that he meant what he said.

“What does that mean?” Steve searched Danny’s face as though he might find his answer there.

“I’m coming back.” 

Just then Dave came back over, intent on continuing his argument with Steve. The other two men rose when they saw him coming. He rudely stepped in between them, which really got Danny’s hackles up. He tapped the man on the shoulder and when he turned, punched him in the face. “That is for interrupting my conversation.”

 

Steve and Danny took control of the situation and managed to avert a crisis without any hostages being seriously injured. The moment they got back to HQ, Steve took Danny into his office and kissed the breath out of him. When he finally, finally let him up for air, he said, “You have no idea how happy I am to have you back.”

“And right in the nick of time too. What were you two arguing about?”

“He wanted to shoot the guy while he was using a hostage as a shield. He actually tried and I had to stop him which is when the helicopter was flying over the area. It looked worse than it actually was.”

Danny started back doing half days and spending the rest of his time at home continuing in his position as consultant. Steve seemed happier and spent less time at the office and they were in the final stages of their wedding plans.

Steve was feeding Alex late one afternoon when Danny sat down next to him with brochures. “Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?” Danny grimaced. “God, that is such a tacky word, but where’d you have in mind?”

“Somewhere cold.”

“What?” Danny was laughing.  
“I mean it. We have year round good weather. Somewhere colder would be a welcome change. Then I’d have an excuse to do this.” Steve pulled Danny close and kissed him. Danny’s mouth opened under his, but too soon he was pulling away.

“How about Chicago?”

“Chicago it is.”

 

END CHAPTER THREE


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny make it official.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!  
> I will not be able to update this story as often as I'd like over the next five weeks due to my studies. My apologies in advance. I will try and update as soon as I can. Thank you to everyone who has followed and enjoyed Steve and Danny's story thus far.

Danny considered the fact that Steve wanted to have a honeymoon somewhere different and decided that since he’d been to Chicago before and his brochures were all for warmer climates, to go back to the drawing board and surprise Steve. He looked online and the following day, headed back to the travel agent’s for some more hints and advice.

He was looking at the agent’s window display, when he saw what he thought was a familiar reflection. It was just for an instant and the moment he turned, the person was gone. He was decidedly unsettled as he stepped in through the doorway and spoke to the very polite girl who had helped him before. She gave him some very helpful information and he left with another stack of brochures that promised the perfect break, but whose snowy landscapes somehow made him a little homesick. 

Later he sat in the car for a few minutes, leafing through glossy pages and settled on what he thought would be a new experience for both he and Steve. Looking up, he saw something on the windshield that looked like a parking ticket. ‘How did that get there?’, he thought. He cursed under his breath as he climbed back out of his car and was about to bitch about the stupidity of having to make an unnecessary ticket go away, when he noticed that it was a carelessly scribbled note.

It read: ENJOY YOUR TIME AWAY!

Danny was under no false impression that this was a well wisher. He carefully peeled off the note and placed it in the glove compartment. He looked up and down the street, but knew whoever it was, was either long gone or watching from a hidden vantage point.

His previous investigation had yielded nothing as everyone involved in his case was safely behind bars and there had been no situations or incidents of any sort that would provoke anyone into stalking. Either way, whoever it was had been bold enough to get close enough to be seen.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Steve wasn’t very impressed with Danny’s experience at the travel agent’s. He jumped up from his desk and moved to where Danny stood in the doorway to his office. “Why am I only hearing about this now?” He had that angry determined look that he swore was his focused look.

“It happened today, Steve.” Danny sounded irritated. 

“The note, yes, but you just said that it wasn’t the first time you thought you were being watched. This is serious. Do not keep things from me.” Steve gave Danny an ominous look as he stood very close, crowding him.

Danny looked panicked for a moment as he fiddled with the cover of one of his brochures. “Steve, I have no idea who this could be. I mean, I’ve looked into our open cases and nothing. The people involved in my kidnapping are still doing time. This was verified. We’ve looked at this from every conceivable angle, and there’s nothing. We can’t live with cops parked in front of our house forever.”

“Maybe we should cancel our honeymoon.” Steve looked thoughtful.

“Absolutely not! We deserve a break and besides, I have a great destination all picked out for us.” Danny’s ears had turned pink in his irritation, making Steve laugh.

“You do huh?” He smirked at Danny who allowed himself to be pulled into a hug.

“Yeah, babe. You better pack your thermals.”

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Two months later Steve and Danny stood in their garden exchanging vows in front of their close friends and family. Steve became a little emotional and tongue tied as he placed his ring on Danny’s finger. Danny couldn’t believe that he was getting married again, but told himself that this was forever. He sought out Alex who was being held by Grace and marveled at the knowledge that they had made it this far and were finally going to be a real family. He had an amazing new husband and two beautiful children.

Steve was a little handsy during their first dance together, being unused to champagne as he was and he had a decidedly sappy smile on his face when he looked down at Danny and then at their guests who were bathed in light from lit torches around the garden. 

“Down boy. There are kids present. Save that for when we’re alone. You can do to me what you want when we’re alone, okay?” He firmly took hold of Steve’s hands that were cupping his ass and moved them to his hips.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

The reception was a decidedly informal and relaxed affair, with everyone rather tipsy by the time they sent Steve and Danny off on their well deserved break in Colorado. Danny’s mother was taking care of Alex while they were away which set their minds at ease.

The only thing that caused him concern and put a slight damper on his happy day, was the fact that he never was able to find out who had been watching him. He had wanted to put that situation to rest before they left, but it would give him something to do when they got back.

He focused on the man next to him in the limo. Steve looked pensive and then when he noticed Danny staring at him, smiled a happy, childlike smile. “I love you, Danno and I finally have you all to myself.” 

“I wish we could have stayed away for longer, but I would miss Alex too much.” Danny ran a hand up Steve’s thigh and leaned into his new husband. Steve wrapped his arms around the smaller man and breathed in the scent of his hair.

“Oh, I’ll make sure you don’t have time to miss him, though I know exactly how you feel. It feels strange without him here.” Steve sighed and settled back with Danny.

 

The moment the two men were settled in their seats, Steve had taken hold of Danny’s hand. The SEAL was now sound asleep, still holding on tightly. He looked so innocent and Danny couldn’t believe all that has happened. Just then Steve snuggled closer and mumbled Danny’s name.

He looked down at their joined hands, the matching gold bands catching the light. He was married to this man and had his child. They were on their way to their first vacation since the baby’s birth and he realized that he was at a loss as to how to relate to his husband without their son’s constant presence. He had forgotten how to be the Danny that Steve had fallen in love with.

Steve stirred next to him, stretching like an overly large cat under his blanket. “Stop worrying so much.” He regarded Danny sleepily and then leaned in to kiss his temple. “I’m worried too, sweetheart. We’ve spent so much time between working and sleepless nights that we’ve not really had any alone time. I love you no matter what. I don’t want you to do anything. I want you to relax. If you can do this then so will I. Alex is safe with your mom and Kono is taking care of the house.”

“Where’d you get all that from?” Danny presented his husband with a puzzled smile.

“If you squeezed my hand any tighter, you’d have crushed it. Woke me up.” He gave Danny a sidelong smirk. “Meant what I said, though. We’ll be fine.”

Danny simply nodded and marveled at how good Steve looked all covered up in something more fashionable than cargos and a t-shirt. He scrubbed up well judging by the admiring glances from female passengers. Steve was oblivious, though and this just made him love the man more.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

The lodge was every bit as charming as they imagined it would be and the staff were very accommodating, though they headed straight for their room as they were a little tired. Luckily the flight wasn’t a very long one.

Once in their suite, Steve left their bags near the door and walked through to the bedroom and dropped facedown onto the bed. Danny followed him in and hovered near the door.  
He raised his head as he could feel Danny’s eyes on him. “Come over here.”

Danny hesitated.

“Come on. I don’t bite.” They both laughed when they thought about the double entendre. A lucky side effect was that Danny seemed to relax.

He moved to the bed where Steve who had been laying in a careless sprawl, had now turned over. “I’ve missed being with just you so very much.” Steve pulled Danny down next to him.

Steve nosed at the exposed skin visible from the open neck of Danny’s collar. Danny momentarily froze, making Steve look at him sharply. “Danno?”

Danny instantly relaxed, looking sheepish. “I’m sorry. I was listening for the baby. It’s a reflex.” He shifted further up the bed, propping himself up against the pillows. 

Steve settled on his side, playing with Danny’s hands that were folded across his belly. He liked touching Danny’s hands. They were smaller than his and perfectly formed. He lightly ran the backs of his fingers over his husband’s hands and moved further down to undo his lowest shirt buttons. 

He thoughtfully ran his forefinger over the scar low on Danny’s belly. “It’s incredible.” he said in almost a whisper. “You had my child.” He looked into Danny’s eyes, holding his gaze. 

Steve lowered his head then and kissed the scar, making Danny moan softly. Steve loved the sounds Danny made when he was just becoming aroused. He even liked the way he tried to keep himself under control, but especially when Steve drove him to the edge of that control and he finally lost it.

He moved up the bed, undoing Danny’s belt one handed, pushing his other hand under the waistband. Danny’s breathing hitched and then sped up as Steve rhythmically squeezed his rapidly swelling cock.

Steve was watching Danny intently and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, exposing his chest. He lightly licked over a nipple, flicking the tip of his tongue over and around the bud. He knew that Danny liked this and was rewarded with him arching up and twining his fingers in Steve’s hair. The sensation went straight to Danny’s cock which twitched in Steve’s hand. He started slowly stroking him from base to tip, keeping up a steady commentary.  
“I liked you from the beginning. That day in the garage, I didn’t want to walk away. I felt strangely connected to you.” Steve emphasized his words with a firm pull on Danny’s shaft, making the other man whimper.

“Now we have a baby. You had my child and we’re married. My world is perfect.” He finally undid Danny’s pants and pulled him out. He nuzzled at the blonde curls and inhaled deeply. He found Danny’s scent irresistible.

“Are you sniffing me SEAL?” Danny smirked down at him.

“Best smell in the world.” Steve had the happiest grin on his face.

He encouraged Danny to remove his shoes and socks and while he did this, disposed of his own clothing and went to get their lube.

Steve stopped close to the bed, taking in the sight before him. Danny’s cock was erect and already leaking at the tip. “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

He crawled up Danny’s body once he got back onto the bed. Once they were facing each other he kissed him softly, whispering into his mouth. “I want us to go slowly. No rush, okay? We have time.” The kiss deepened as he covered Danny with his body.  
Steve spoke again as they pulled away from each other. “Why are you still wearing these?” He patted Danny’s trouser clad thigh. “Let’s get them off.”

He moved further down to help and took hold of the waistband and pulled it down over Danny’s hips, swallowing him down the moment his cock was exposed. “Oh my fucking god!” Danny yelled as he jerked forward. Danny vaguely registered a cap popping and the next moment felt Steve’s wet finger fill his ass. So much for going slowly, but he was already close and he was going to lose it if Steve kept doing what he was doing with that finger. “Steve… please.”

Steve had his hand around his own shaft, intent on making this good for Danny, but unable to not touch himself. “God, Danno. Listen to you… fuck, I’m so hard.” He’d sped up his movements on his own cock, feeling too hot in his own skin. He wanted to come, but he also wanted to see Danny lose it.

He fisted his hands in Steve’s hair, desperately wanting to pull him further down onto his cock. Steve encouraged this by swallowing again, just as he added a second finger, brushing Danny’s prostate. “I can’t… can’t hold on!” Danny was thrashing around with Steve struggling to hold him in place. The movements unseated Steve and as he pulled off Danny’s cock, he pushed in a third finger which made direct contact with Danny’s prostate. He did his best to hold his husband still while circling his finger, once… twice… 

Danny arched up off the bed, gasping wetly as he came.

Steve pulled Danny close and cradled him in his arms. The other man managed to rouse himself when he felt Steve’s hard on poking him in the thigh. “Jesus Steve! You didn’t come.”

Steve looked down as though surprised by the fact. Danny pushed Steve onto his back and wrapped his hand around Steve’s shaft. He plunged his tongue into Steve’s mouth, sucking on his tongue and jacking him roughly. Steve grabbed hold of Danny’s shoulders, unable to speak. He screwed his eyes shut as he spilled over Danny’s hand.

Danny ended the kiss just then. “That was amazing. I love you.”

 

END CHAPTER FOUR


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am updating as often as I am able. Thank you all for reading. Hope you enjoy.

“Christ Steve! Was that your idea of going slowly? You nearly killed me!”

“That was the intention.” Steve chuckled breathlessly.

“What? To kill me?” Danny looked at Steve in mock outrage.

“No, I meant to take it slowly, but then I saw you all hard and waiting for me. I couldn’t help myself. Danno, do you have any idea what effect you have on me? We’re just getting warmed up. If I had my way, you’d never leave this bed.” 

Steve pulled Danny over and into a surprisingly tender hug that was a total contrast to his playful words. They lay tangled up together and slept for a short while until Danny woke up complaining of hunger. After some coaxing Danny got Steve into the shower where Steve jerked Danny off and then talked him into going with him for some dinner.  
Danny wanted to order room service, but after some wheedling and promises, Steve got his way. The moment they sat down at their table which was more or less in a quiet part of the dining room, another couple engaged them in conversation.

They were very pleasant, but Danny was immediately irritated by the woman who had plenty of cleavage on display, making it obvious that she and her new husband were into spouse swapping or perhaps a foursome if they preferred.

Steve was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered to give the offensive pair a blank look. Danny noticing that Steve was already annoyed, decided that he would employ his favorite method to successfully calm Steve down.

Steve eyes went wide and he sat a little straighter the moment he felt Danny’s palm lightly skim over his cock. The change in him was imperceptible, but the slight hitch in his breathing told Danny that Steve wasn’t unaffected. 

The woman and her husband were still lingering at their table. “It’s so beautiful out here at this time of year.” she drawled, fiddling with her necklace and thus putting the focus back on her ample assets.

“Didn’t notice.” Steve’s eyes looked rather glazed and he sounded little choked. The tips of his ears turned pink as Danny added some pressure and rubbed his palm over his cock, squeezing unexpectedly. Steve cleared his throat and turned bodily to look at Danny. “This one here keeps me occupied.” Steve blinked very slowly, mouth going slack as Danny started stroking him through his pants.

The woman looked at them curiously and when Steve continued to ignore her, focused her attention on Danny. Eager to be rid of their fellow guests, Danny squeezed the head of his husband’s cock, drawing aloud gasp from Steve.  
Danny decided to speak up. “Why are you two together if you’re trawling for fresh meat? That is what you’re doing, right? Let’s call it what it is. We’re not like you and besides, if you had him to sleep with,” and he motioned toward Steve, “what’s the point of looking elsewhere?”

The woman looked as though she had been slapped. She and her husband, realizing that they weren’t getting anywhere, walked away hurriedly.

Danny turned his attention to his husband once more. Steve’s cock was hard and had lengthened in his hand. “Danno?” Steve’s voice was barely above a whisper as he gripped the edge of the table. “Are you going to make me come right here at this table?”

“I was trying to distract you.” Danny’s smile was impish as he gave Steve a little pat and removed his hand from his crotch.

“Yeah, well, it worked. I also insist that you finish what you started.” Danny’s hand was back on him the moment he finished talking, making him jerk forward in shock. “Jesus, Danno! I didn’t mean here and now!”, came the shocked whisper.

Danny looked the soul of innocence, his hand still on Steve’s cock. “The menu is amazing and I’m hungry. Let’s order?”

“You actually expect me to now sit through dinner with a raging hard on?” Steve asked in disbelief. “This is not over, Danno.”

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Later Steve dragged Danny back to the privacy of their suite, where he took his time and fucked Danny slowly throughout the night, making him orgasm several times before he would allow him to sleep.

Danny woke up to the beautiful and familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee the following morning. Steve must have arranged that for him he thought. His body was sore and his ass ached a little, but he felt wonderful. He marveled at the decadence of it, being able to wallow in bed with his husband. He turned over and curled his body around Steve who was still asleep.

“Hey babe, we’ve got a sleigh ride to go on this morning. Let’s go get ready?”

“No.”, came the answer from a sleepy Steve.

“No?” Danny was surprised and decided to keep trying. “What would you rather do?”

“Want to stay put and fuck my new husband.” was the muffled reply as Steve burrowed under the covers.

“Okay, but tell you what. Let’s go on the sleigh ride, see what’s out there and then you can do unspeakably naughty things to me when we get back.”

“Deal.” Steve’s head immediately popped out from under their covers, offering Danny a somnolent smile.

 

Steve and Danny managed to not only enjoy their honeymoon, but made a concerted effort to not worry too much about their son. The two weeks sped by and almost too soon, they were packing their things and an extra suitcase that Danny bought because of all the things he insisted on buying.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

They arrived home to blistering heat and Danny succumbed to a bad summer cold during their first week back. His mother decided to stay an extra few days while Danny recovered and would on occasion take the baby to see Steve when he was at the office.

This was not something that she usually did and his suspicions were confirmed when she sat down in his office, looking very serious.

“I didn’t want to bring this up in front of my son, but I think someone’s been watching me, Steve.”

“What exactly do you mean? Today?” Steve abandoned the paperwork that he knew was going to become Danny’s headache eventually and sat forward in his chair.

“I feel like I’m a little paranoid for even mentioning this. I didn’t actually see anyone. I don’t know how to explain it. I was in the play park with Alex and then it happened again when I took him to his play group. I could have sworn someone was watching me and when I looked there was no one there.” Clara looked visibly shaken as she handed a fussy Alex to his father.

“We’re eventually going to have to tell Danny about this?” Steve offered Alex his rather chewed up and drooled upon looking teddy bear.

“He’ll just worry and I thought I’d ask you about it first.”

“Well, there’s not much he can do about it at the moment, but I’ll look into it.” Steve knew that whoever was watching Clara and the baby could not be the cops from the unit that he had asked to patrol his neighborhood as they would have reported the fact to him. That also meant that whoever it was knew about the unmarked car observing the house.

He had already spoken to Kono on their return and there had been no incidents. Clara left for New Jersey soon after Danny declared that he was feeling better, though Steve knew this as his spouse’s caustic humor had also returned. There were no further out of the ordinary experiences and for the moment life was back to their old routine.

A few weeks later as they were chasing down a suspect involved in a shooting, they separated. Danny returned, limping, with their unhappy suspect in handcuffs. Steve was immediately concerned, but Danny brushed it off as an old sports injury that occasionally caused some problems.

Danny’s back was much worse by the end of that day and he seemed to be doing quite badly as his knee was causing him some pain as well. Steve knew by now that his husband was sometimes stubborn. Danny had decided to ignore his injuries, hoping that resting for a couple of days would help.

Steve insisted that Danny see a doctor about his back, which he did and by the end of that week, he was in considerable pain. He had been ordered from active duty until his back was better and he was feeling rather sorry for himself as he couldn’t lift his son. 

 

As the weather was rather pleasant, Steve had helped Danny onto a lounger and they were enjoying the afternoon sunshine in their backyard. Danny was watching over Alex in his play pen, when Steve’s phone rang.

Danny gave him a lethargic, but enquiring look from underneath his sun shade. “Just Kono with hopefully some information on the new case.” This was a lie, but he assuaged his guilt by telling himself that the cause was a worthy one.

He rose from his chair next to Danny, kissing his forehead as he went. “I’ll bring you something for your back.” He walked back toward the house going through the kitchen picking up bottled water on the way and then went on to the living room. The two police officers were just coming up to the front door as he opened it.

The officer closest to Steve was about to speak, when the car they had just been sitting in exploded right behind them. Shards of glass and hot metal flew in all directions and fortunately no one was injured. They all stayed low on the ground and moved all the way into the house. The situation, though seemed all too familiar to Steve.

“Oh my god. I have to check on Danny!” He left the two police officers in the living room and rushed back through the house, grabbing his sig as he went.

He came to an abrupt halt when he found more people in his back yard than just his husband and son. Two very familiar faces stared back at him.

“Commander McGarrett. You’re right on cue. Thanks for joining us. 

“What are you doing here?” Steve didn’t move. He looked from his son to his husband. They were too far away from him to do anything right then. 

“You owe me and I’m here to even the score.” 

 

END CHAPTER FIVE


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unpleasant person reappears to cause havoc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am officially back. I hope that everyone who has followed this story so far enjoys the latest chapter.

Steve’s world had taken on an odd slant and he didn’t like being off balance. He had thought that he and Danny would finally be able to have some peace, but it seemed mostly out of reach right at that moment.

Concentrating on Danny’s face, Steve noticed the tight look around his eyes and how he wasn’t really able to focus on Steve. His breathing was a little erratic and he looked like it took all of his energy to stay upright. Steve had a moment of regret as he was about to get Danny a painkiller before their afternoon went up in smoke.  
Danny turned his head towards little Alex and then looked back at Steve in disbelief. Annoyance and frustration flashed across his face and Steve realized that Danny was upset at not having been able to prevent what had happened. He filed that away to talk about later.

They hadn’t expected to see Willa again and yet here she was with Cal in tow.

Steve steeled himself and focused on their unwelcome guests. He scanned the area and once he was satisfied that there were only four extra people, he started formulating a plan in his mind.

“What are you doing here?” he asked calmly, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“I already told you that, commander.”

Steve was reminded of just how much he disliked this woman. Willa was irritating at best, but her unstable ways made her dangerous. Right now she was pacing the length of the boat that they had sailed in on, before taking his son from Cal who had joined her on deck.

He was half hidden under a baseball cap and sunglasses, but Steve recognized him all the same. Steve’s stomach lurched at the thought of these people touching his child and he had to fight a brief moment of panic before he managed to once more compose himself.

Danny had noticed this and made a sympathetic noise in acknowledgement of his dilemma.

“What do you hope to accomplish here today?” Steve edged a little closer, keeping his hands in plain sight. He was trying to catch Cal’s eye, but the other man was carefully avoiding looking up.

“Cal is that you?” Steve knew saying this out loud was unnecessary, but it unnerved the other man. Mission accomplished.

The other man’s posture became rigid and Steve continued.

“Sonofabitch! How could you do this?”

Cal flinched at Steve’s anger and turned, slowly. Finally he spoke.

“No one bothered to find out how I was doing after the situation at the ranch. I needed money then and I still need money now. Nothing’s changed for me!”

Steve shook his head in disbelief. “You put your life in danger to get my husband out of that house and now you’re the one bringing this…”, Steve gestured towards the beach. “You bring this to my home.”

Cal angrily took off his cap and sunglasses, casting them aside. “I needed money and no one was concerned with my situation once my testimony was over. I never got as much as a ‘thanks’.” Cal was almost shouting as Willa looked on in amusement.

Steve moved a little closer while Willa’s attention was on Cal and his son. “Why didn’t you ask for help?” Steve was closer to Danny now and briefly wondered what the two police officers were doing in his house.

His attention was drawn back to his predicament when he realized Cal had been speaking the entire time. Steve managed to catch his last words. “I needed money, not help. Willa offered me a way out, which is more than the judicial system did.”  
Steve marveled at Cal’s skewed logic and was about to set him straight, when movement off to his right distracted him. Danny, despite being in pain, was struggling with his captor.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m bored!” Willa handed little Alex back to Cal. “I don’t want to hear any more of this. Commander, I want you to suffer the way I did. My kids were taken from me. You destroyed my family and now I’m going to destroy yours.”

She picked up a pistol and pointed it towards Alex.

“Get that gun away from my son!” Danny started to struggle again. His sudden movement earned him a punch to the part of his back Steve knew hurt the most. Danny froze, his face contorted in pain. Moments later, his body went limp, his captor stopping him from sliding face first into the water.

Steve was livid with anger, but he used the commotion to step even closer to the boat.

“He’s fiery. I can see why you like him.” Willa seemed to find the situation entertaining.

“Shut up! That was one of the dumbest things anyone could have said. You’re making no sense. I’ve had about enough of you!” Steve had to force himself to stay where he was.

“Commander, are you forgetting who has the upper hand here?” A small smile played on Willa’s lips.

“I don’t care! You need a reality check, you stupid woman. You are selfish and arrogant. The only way you can get anyone to do your bidding is to buy them, that is, when you don’t resort to bullying and manipulation.”

Steve looked just beyond Willa’s right shoulder as she raised her pistol, noticing a helicopter in the distance.  
Oh commander, this is going to be so much fun.” She spoke over her shoulder to the man behind her, who promptly started the engine.

 

Right at that moment, the helicopter swooped in unexpectedly, scattering everything that was not bolted down. Steve, seeing this as an opportunity, rushed the last few feet as everyone on the boat crouched down. 

He laid his hand on his gun, bringing it round to fire a shot, hitting the man at the helm. He hauled himself onboard, firing another shot at the man who held Danny. As the man fell backwards and away from Danny, Steve saw his husband slide face down into the water. Danny was still seemingly unconscious, though the moment his face went into the water, he moved, much to Steve’s relief.

The two police officers who had been out of sight until then, ran toward the beach, one of them immediately going to Danny and pulling him from the water.   
Willa fired a shot in their direction as Steve grabbed for her wrist. She desperately fought to hold on to her gun, but Steve was faster and shoved her overboard, leaving her to the second police officer.

Steve turned towards the man that was still at the boat’s helm. He jumped overboard as Steve advanced on him. Steve stopped abruptly and turned to the only other person left on board.

“Give me my son.”

Cal who had backed all the way to the boat’s edge, looked behind himself into the water. Realizing that any kind of escape was beyond his reach, he gripped little Alex so tightly that the child began to scream uncontrollably. Cal looked horrified.

Anger flashed across Steve’s face as he lunged, hitting Cal on the jaw. Steve grabbed his son just as the younger man went over the side.  
Little Alex was inconsolable as Steve hugged his son to him. He experienced a moment of annoyance at how Danny could get their child to settle down quite easily. 

He was surprised to see Kono smiling at him from the water as she waded over, holding her hands out for Alex. It seemed as though he had only been on the boat for a few short moments, yet there were EMTs tending to Danny and Willa’s cohorts. His beach was a mess and the place was swarming with police officers.

Steve quickly made his way from the boat, reaching out for Alex as he joined Kono in the water. 

“It’s okay boss. I’ll take care of the little guy here. Go to Danny. “Kono smiled as she turned her attention to a squirming, giggling Alex. 

Chin who had just arrived sidestepped the remnants of what was meant to be a peaceful family afternoon. Steve, smiling his thanks to Kono, rushed over to Danny who was conscious and complaining loudly. Steve laughed despite the situation.

“Can you tell these gentlemen to please leave me alone? I really want them to stop trying to touch me. I’m fine! And while you’re at it, tell them I’m not going to the hospital. I want my son! Where’s my son?” Danny was swatting at an EMT who gave him a longsuffering look.

“No.” Steve stood away from Danny, hands on his hips.

“What?!”

“You heard me. I said ‘no’, Danno. You’re going to the hospital. It’ll put my mind at rest. Besides, our baby is going too.” Steve moved closer and carefully ran a hand over Danny’s still wet hair, settling his rescue blanket snugly around him. “Okay?”

Danny, seeing the determined look on his husband’s face decided to not argue. 

“That is so manipulative. You win – this time. I’ll go. Come with me?” Danny looked around Steve to where Willa was being hauled off by Chin and a patrolman. “How did she get out?”

“I have no idea, but we’ll get you looked at first and then we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Steve looked over his shoulder as Chin gave them the thumbs up.

Kono joined them then with little Alex. “I thought you’d want to see this little man. He’s been asking for his daddy.” 

Danny winced as he reached for his son and Steve stopped him from actually trying to take the baby from Kono. Steve helped Danny into the back of the ambulance and took Alex from Kono.

Steve was left with many unanswered questions and as they made their way to the hospital, he made a mental note to finally put all of the pieces together and to make sure that his family was safe.

 

END CHAPTER SIX


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny find more answers.

Once at the hospital, Danny was quickly taken away. Alex was a little unhappy and a doctor examined him while Steve held him. It seemed to take a while and not long after Alex was cleared, Chin arrived to provide some support and company.   
Steve had many questions and Chin somehow sensing this, had compiled some information on the situation that he knew Steve would be interested in.

“How’s Danny doing? He wasn’t very happy when I saw him last.”

“He’s still in with the doc. What have you got so far?” Steve motioned in the direction of the file tucked under Chin’s arm.

“Yeah, this was all I could get in a short space of time. You know that the two cops outside your house called me right?” Chin was handing the file off to Steve and then decided against it as Steve still held Alex.

Steve shook his head, laughing. “I had a moment there in the middle of that nasty situation where I wondered just what the hell those two were doing in my house.”

“Well, they realized that they could assist, but they’d have no element of surprise, which was what was needed. They did the only other thing they could. They called me so I arranged for a helicopter to buy you some time. I must say, that woman is brazen.” Chin let out a soft, humorless laugh.

“How did she get out without us knowing? We actually looked at all of our past cases and everyone was accounted for.” Steve was becoming irritated and sensing his father’s mood, Alex began to cry. His father did his best to lift his spirits and eventually the baby settled down.

Chin looked as though he felt sorry for Steve. “To answer your question, I think Willa started working on Cal while she was still in prison. She knew he would always need money, given his situation, so it was really a no brainer for her.”

“That explains her hold on Cal, but how did she manage to escape?”

“Well, Kono is still questioning Cal so we’ll get confirmation on who she bought soon enough.” Chin’s phone beeped just then and checking the screen, he confirmed that it was Kono with an update on the case.  
He handed the phone to Steve who waved it away, pointing in the opposite direction where he saw Danny’s doctor approaching. He stopped to briefly talk to a nurse and soon made his way over to where Steve waited with his son.

“Commander McGarrett?” The doctor looked from Chin to Steve.

Steve spoke, unable to keep the impatience out of his voice. “How’s Danny doing?”

“He is as good as can be expected. He has a bruised kidney which is causing him a considerable amount of pain and in addition there is the original injury, which of course will make his recovery time significantly longer.”

Steve was concerned that the well meaning doctor might tell him that they were keeping Danny in and that was the last thing he wanted, considering what happened when Danny was out of his sight.

“Can he come home?” Steve kissed the top of his son’s head, thinking that he must be very hungry.

“I don’t see why not. We have some medication for your husband and some instructions going forward. He should make a full recovery.” The doctor smiled and was gone by the time Chin walked up to Steve once more.

“Danny?” Chin gave Steve an enquiring look.

“He’s going to be fine. I think we should go and see him before he starts to complain again.” Steve realized that he should be relieved that he managed to keep his loved ones safe, but it was no comfort as this type of situation might occur again. He had no way of knowing what was in the future and what happened earlier only served to feed his paranoia.

Soon the two men found themselves by Danny’s bedside. Chin seemed to find Danny quite amusing as he was quite loopy after being given his pain medication.

“Steeeve! Heeey! What took you so long? And you brought my favorite little boy in the whole wide world.” Danny held his arms out for Steve who shook his head, laughing as he handed Alex to his father. He hugged Danny, holding on perhaps a little too tightly, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go, that is, until both his husband and son started to complain, Danny mostly, about not being able to breathe.

Chin moved closer to Danny, laying a hand on his arm. “Glad you’re okay brah. Kono said she’s sorry she couldn’t be here for you and asked to stop by the house tomorrow.”

Danny gave Chin a sappy smile from around Steve’s shoulder. “Can’t wait. We can have coffee.”

Steve held Danny at armslength. “No coffee for you. Your liquids intake will be limited until your kidney is better. Doctor’s orders.” He turned to Chin. “Make sure you tell Kono, no coffee for this one.”

Chin smiled his indulgent smile as Steve began to get Danny ready to go home. Danny was in an exceptionally happy and mellow frame of mind. He tried to hug Steve each time he was within reach and at one stage Steve had to enlist Chin’s help to get Danny to settle down with Alex.

“Let it be known that Steve McGarrett is no fun.” Danny pouted and tried to cross his arms, but failed as he was still holding his son. Steve was thankful for the moment that Danny didn’t seem traumatized by their day’s events and on his return to his husband’s room with a wheelchair, he found him sound asleep. He didn’t, however, see their child. Panicking, he looked around the room and only when he saw Chin in the chair with the baby, did he relax.

Chin followed Steve to his house at his request. Once they arrived there, Steve unlocked the front door while Chin carried little Alex indoors. Steve went around to Danny’s side to check if he was awake. When there was no response, undid his seatbelt and carefully lifted him out of his seat, carrying him into the house and up to their bedroom.

He padded back downstairs to get Alex. Chin left soon after the two men had checked the windows for damage following the explosion earlier that day.

Steve fed Alex, but couldn’t bring himself to put his son to bed until he had bathed him. He was deeply disturbed by the fact that such an evil person had touched his son. At least she never went anywhere near Danny. 

Danny was exactly where Steve had left him, only now his head was under the covers and all that could be seen was his fluffy blond hair peeking out from under the bed sheet. Steve sat down on the side of the bed, running a hand up Danny’s side, keeping his touch firm as Danny was ticklish. The other man moaned and began to stir.

“S’nice…” 

“Shhh… Go back to sleep.”

Steve went for a quick shower once he had settled Danny. On his return, he moved in close to his husband, draping a possessive hand over his waist.

“Love you Danno.” He whispered into Danny’s hair.

“Love you, babe.” came the groggy reply.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

The first thing Danny was aware of as he woke up was that his back hurt more than it did before and that his leg hurt as well. His head felt fuzzy and so did his mouth. So, a good day then. He noticed that his husband wasn’t in bed with him and wished he was there to cuddle up to. The previous day’s events slowly came back to him and so did his anger.

“Steve!” he called out.

He could hear Steve moving around and while Danny was trying to figure out exactly how to get to his painkillers, Steve strode in with their son.

“Hey munchkin.” His demeanor changed the moment he laid eyes on their baby. “Morning, babe. You okay?”

“I’m good. You?” Steve looked at him as though he was fragile and about to fall apart.

Danny patted the bed next to him. “Can you bring me a painkiller and then please can you come and talk to me? I need to know what the hell happened yesterday.”

As Steve helped Danny get more comfortable, he started to relate what Chin had told him the day before.   
“So who was stalking me?” he asked finally as Steve was coming to the last few facts.

“That I’m not clear on. My money’s on Cal, probably at Willa’s request, but I’m waiting on Kono and Chin to get back to us on that and how she managed to escape without us finding out.”

Danny lay back against the pillows looking very unhappy. “They completely surprised me, Steve. I’d never have thought anyone would try something like that. It’s not that I don’t feel safe, but yesterday really scared me. I couldn’t stop them from taking our son.”

“There was nothing you could’ve done. She’d been planning this for a long time and she’s a sick person.” Steve had taken hold of Danny’s hands, trying to ground himself as well as comfort his husband.

“The explosion… Steve, I thought you were hurt.”

“That was an unmarked car parked out front, sorry. I should’ve told you.” Steve looked shamefaced, but Danny barely noticed.  
Steve took comfort in the fact that at least this time Willa didn’t actually manage to take Danny or Alex away.

“Look, things will be different from now on. I will make sure no one ever gets close enough to hurt either you or Alex.” Steve sounded resolute and it concerned Danny, but he’s learned over time that it would be impossible to change Steve’s mind once he had decided on a course of action.

Danny was eager to change the topic. “Can I come down for something to eat or is that against the rules too?”

Steve managed a halfhearted smile. “I’d much rather you stay put, just for today. I don’t want you screwing up your back more.”

Alex started to fuss so Danny passed him back to Steve who took him away for his breakfast. Danny’s painkiller made him feel a little fuzzy headed and after eating something he went back to sleep. He woke up later and from the light, could tell that it was early afternoon.

It was then that he heard Alex begin to cry. The baby didn’t stop and he wondered where Steve had gotten to.

“Steve?!” he called, but he heard nothing.

His back hurt less so he managed to roll over and get himself out of bed. Steve’s eyes went wide when he found him shuffling along to Alex’s room.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Steve looked horrified as he rushed up the stairs, leaving Danny mystified.

“Aren’t you overreacting just a little, Steve. I’m only trying to get to Alex. Whoa…”  
The next moment Steve had swept Danny up and carried him back to their bedroom.

“Stay.” came the stern reply as he placed him on the bed, holding a forefinger up to emphasize his point.

“Fine.” Danny was far from happy, but conceded that he would have had a struggle to comfortably lift his son. He angrily crossed his arms as he watched his husband stride away.

 

Alex stopped crying within minutes which made Danny smile. Without warning Steve reappeared in the bedroom doorway, looking agitated.  
He didn’t say a word, but the moment Danny tried to speak, Steve was on him, pinning his arms next to his head.

“What the…” Danny started to struggle which made Steve tighten his hold.

Steve cut off the words with a harsh kiss that quickly became desperate. Danny considered pushing Steve off him, but decided against it. He opened his mouth under Steve’s and as the kiss deepened Danny began to relax. His husband’s weight and the constant movement had the happy side effect of making him instantly hard. Steve released Danny’s wrists and his hands were under his t-shirt now, pinching a nipple, making Danny gasp.

“I’m safe, okay? I’m here. So’s our baby. You didn’t allow anything bad to happen. Let it go babe. Let it all go.” He put his hands up on either side of Steve’s face, forcing him to look at him. Steve looked at Danny as though seeing him for the first time. 

“Danno, I need you. You have no idea…” Steve let out a strangled sob and kissed Danny’s neck, all the way down to his collarbone. He quickly divested Danny of his clothes, taking great care to not hurt his back any further. Danny hoped that this would be a small step towards getting back to normal, for Steve to exorcise his demons, and maybe Danny had a few of his own.   
He did his best to help Steve out of his t-shirt and shorts. Steve immediately reached for the lube setting to work opening Danny up and getting him ready.  
The SEAL was already at the edge of his control, Danny’s moans spurring him on and almost too soon he pushed into Danny. He tried to keep most of his weight off his husband, but Danny had other ideas as he reached down to bring their bodies closer together. 

“Come on, babe. Fuck me.” Danny was demanding, but he felt Steve needed the encouragement.

Steve stopped being overly careful then and began to thrust, the force of it pushing Danny further up the bed. They hadn’t done this in a while and Danny knew he’d be feeling this the next day, but that was fine by him.   
Danny wrapped his legs around his husband drawing Steve in further. Both men gasped at the intense sensations and as Danny pulled Steve in for a kiss, he wrapped his other hand around his dripping cock.  
Steve broke the kiss to look between them, his rhythm stuttering as he watched Danny stroke himself. Breathy moans escaped from Danny’s throat each time Steve’s cock moved over his prostate. Steve could feel his orgasm building as he gripped the sheets next to Danny’s head. He was unable to speak as Danny cried out, tightening around him. Steve’s cock jerked, spilling deep inside his husband.

Steve was taking huge, heaving breaths as he struggled to support his own weight. He managed to carefully pull out of Danny and roll away to the side, moving Danny with him.

It took a few moments before Danny realized that Steve was talking. “Steve?”

“So… so sorry.” Steve had his forearm draped over his eyes, still struggling to catch his breath.

Danny, who only now noticed that his back was starting to protest, put an arm out to his side, seeking out his husband’s hand.

“Hey, you didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want, okay? I didn’t say ‘no’.”

Steve gave Danny an intense look. “Danny, we didn’t use a condom.”

“I know, babe. It doesn’t mean I’ll get pregnant. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Are you okay?”

“I will be. Eventually. I nearly lost you… again.” Steve pulled Danny closer.

“You didn’t and I can take pretty good care of myself, but I was having a bad day. Shit happens, but we can both try to be more careful in future. That’s all anyone can do, but if we lock ourselves away, they win.”

Danny could feel Steve nod and hoped that he was taking what he said on board.

 

END CHAPTER SEVEN


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny have a period of domesticity.

Danny woke up a little while later, unable to move very much as the SEAL was wrapped around him like Danny was an oversized teddy bear. When he tried to move, it was only to become further entangled in Steve.

“Babe, I need to take a leak and my back is starting to hurt again.” Danny whispered.  
That seemed to get Steve’s attention, but he took his time disentangling himself from Danny and sleepily clambered out of bed. Steve stood scratching his head for a moment and languidly stretched before finally turning to get Danny another painkiller. Danny started to get up so Steve tried to stop him.

“Hey, where you going?” Steve sounded alarmed. He placed a hand in the middle of Danny’s chest and gently pushed him back down.

“I still need to pee, Steve.” Danny said quietly. He frowned at Steve who gave him a sheepish smile as he helped him up, wondering if Steve’s seemingly odd behavior was going to be a problem. 

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Steve allowed him downstairs to eat dinner and play with Alex, but he was shood upstairs the moment he winced.  
“Babe, stop being such a mother hen. It’s just time to take my meds. I should’ve done so almost an hour ago. Look, it’s almost Alex’s bedtime. I’ll go back to bed when you give him his bath. Deal?”

“Okay.” Steve didn’t seem happy, but he relaxed once he had both Alex and Danny tucked in. 

“You okay?” Danny pulled the covers up around himself and held Steve’s side open as the other man was coming out of the bathroom.

“Huh? Oh… Yeah I’m good.” Steve wasn’t making eye contact and Danny called him on it.

“You’re a terrible liar. Say that while you’re looking at me. In fact, don’t bother. Come here.” He held his arms out for Steve.  
Steve joined him, curling his body around his husband. He knew he was holding on too tightly, but Danny allowed him.  
It was a few minutes before Danny spoke. “We’ll get past whatever this is. We always do. Just… just talk okay. Talk when you’re ready.”

 

Steve spent the rest of the week taking care of his husband and son to Danny’s annoyance. “I love you, but I’m not eating that.” Danny poked at the cabbage roll on his plate.

“Cabbage is good for you. Your kidneys will thank you. Now, eat.” Steve’s smile was filled with mischief.

“I hate you so much.” Danny looked nauseated. “My mom made me eat this stuff as a kid. She was evil, just like you.”

“You love me. You already said so.” Steve did a little twirl around Danny, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He ducked away before Danny could swat at him.

Danny couldn’t help but laugh at his husband. He was almost back to normal it seemed. “You’re crazy, you know that, right? Anyway, seeing as I've been left no choice, I’ll eat." Danny sighed dramatically, but Steve merely crossed his arms and pointed at the food with a free finger. 

"Will you still be here to take me to the doc’s so I can get cleared for active duty?” Danny's tone was suddenly serious once more.

“That’s not til next week, but yeah. It’ll be good to get back to work. I like being at home, but we both could do with getting back to the job.”  
Danny was getting around much better and his kidneys were in better shape. Steve was still not allowing him any coffee and Danny was decidedly testy when Steve held the car door open for him the morning of his doctor's appointment. 

Alex giggled as Danny got in. “Don’t you start as well. You’re as bad as your daddy.” Danny wagged a finger at their baby who tried to pull Danny’s hand toward his mouth.

He heard Steve snickering behind him as he closed the car door.

Steve was made to stop at coffee shop on the way home. Danny had discovered the place soon after he arrived on the island. “The coffee here is something else.” Danny was bright eyed and beside himself at having been given the all clear by his doctor.

Steve was distracted as he stood in line holding their son. It took him a while before he realized that Danny had been talking to him. “Where’d you go?” Danny, having collected their coffees, was turning toward the exit. 

Once in the car, Danny tucked into a giant chocolate muffin, making Steve wince. He simply laughed at his husband. It was when he opened his coffee to inhale the rich aroma, that he felt a little queasy. He held his breath for a moment while he closed his eyes against a wave of nausea.  
Having watched his every move for the last two weeks, Steve noticed. “What’s wrong? You in pain?”

He was determined to have his coffee, so he lied. “I’m perfect. I have coffee, don’t I?”

Steve regarded him with a slight frown, but decided to not pursue the matter as Danny was childlike in his happiness at being able to have caffeine.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Steve and Danny made a concerted effort to move on from their traumatic experience. They each thought that they had, but it was Kono who noticed that they had changed their habits and unwittingly pointed this out one afternoon. She loved little Alex and spent much of her free time with him and Danny.

“Danny, why don’t you two sit out back anymore?” Kono was sitting cross legged on the floor, Alex playing between them.

“We’ve been out there.” Danny laughed nervously. He was trying to think of exactly when he and his husband had last been in their yard. Steve walked through from the kitchen and stopped when Danny called him over.  
“Babe, tell Kono we sit out back all the time. For some reason she thinks we don’t go out there anymore.”

Steve’s expression was unreadable and he didn’t answer immediately. When he eventually spoke it was to change the topic.  
“Kono, I wanted to ask you if you were free to sit Alex because I’d like to take Danny out to a new restaurant that I’m positive he’ll love. You haven’t been out since you hurt your back, Danno. What do you think?”

Danny was delighted at the prospect of a date with his husband. Smiling brightly he turned to Kono. “Would you look after our little guy? He likes you better than the sitter. Anyway, it’ll put Steve’s mind at ease.” Danny leaned over conspiratorially as he whispered the last part from behind his hand.

Kono’s smile matched Danny’s. “Sure brah, anytime. You two are so cute.”

Though Danny was pleased, he felt that Steve’s behavior had been decidedly odd. He made a mental note of that and decided that he would ask Steve about his very clever change of subject.

Kono spent the rest of the afternoon with Alex and after she left, Steve asked Danny the strangest question.

“Danno, what would you think if I suggested we sell the house?” Steve sat down across from Danny. He wasn’t looking at Danny for the moment and instead busied himself with packing away some of their baby’s toys and tickling Alex who giggled delightedly.

“Steve, what’s going on? I don’t want to move. I love it here. You know that. This is my home and a great place for Alex to grow up.” Danny was in a state of agitation and started to get up. 

“Nothing’s going on, Danno. It was just a thought. Forget I said anything.” Steve looked mildly irritated, but Danny saw some relief mixed in there as well and it seemed Steve was depending on Danny’s flat out refusal.

Fortunately, Steve didn’t raise the topic after that as Danny had no intention of leaving a home that he had come to love. And that was just it, wasn’t it? Steve loved his home. So why give it up?

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Once back at work, the SEAL was fine once again, that is, until the team was assigned a new case. They had to make sure a witness remained safe until his testimony was delivered. As with everything that Danny has encountered in recent times, the case was not as cut and dried as they would have hoped.

Right at this moment he and Kono were watching Steve on the phone in his office. “Jesus, Danny. He’s acting more like you by the day. Those are definitely ‘Danny’ hand gestures.” Kono very quickly and conveniently found something pressing to do the moment she saw Steve stomping out of his office towards Danny. “You’re on your own, brah. Sorry.” she shot over her shoulder as she made her way to the door.

“What was that all about?” Danny looked up at Steve, who towered over him.

“I don’t like playing babysitter to witnesses. This is not the best kind of assignment for the team's expertise and its resources. The witness is refusing to testify because his mistress we knew nothing about has been kidnapped, so now we have to protect a hostile witness and work a kidnapping case.”

Chin strode in to give them an update on the kidnapping. “Looks like we could solve the mistress' kidnapping faster than we thought. Those are all the leads we need.” he said as he pointed toward the large screen. “HPD are in pursuit. Seems our witness’ mistress went a little crazy on her kidnappers and drew public attention. Someone called the cops and now we have a high speed chase.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Danny started to rise from his seat.

“No, you stay.” Steve’s tone brooked no arguments.

“I’m going. No way am I staying here!”

The two men argued all the way to the Kaahumanu street overpass where their silly kidnappers had tried to get out of a traffic jam and overturned their van. Their witness’ mistress was crawling out the back where the doors had opened. When one of her kidnappers grabbed her by the ankle, she kicked him in the head.

Steve and Danny stood for a moment to marvel at the spectacle. Laughing, they left those two to HPD officers and went after the remaining two kidnappers who were doing their best to be inconspicuous and disappear amongst the countless bystanders and cars being redirected by traffic police.

Danny and Steve slotted back into their familiar way of working cases and despite arguing, the two men returned with a kidnapper each.

“Steve, why don’t you go in the back yard anymore?”

“What?!” Steve sounded confused and looked at Danny like he had grown a second head. The random comment caught him unawares, but the SEAL caught up quickly, though. “Danno, you don’t either!” Steve was less than amused at the inconvenient timing of the question.

“Yeah, but I’m not the one who wanted to sell up.” Danny huffed out a breath. “Wait a minute. This is not about me, you sneaky SEAL.”

Steve stopped suddenly and raised an eyebrow at Danny. “Are we really going to do this now?” 

 

Danny stopped as well and looked around him and then back at Steve. “Jesus, I think we need therapy.” 

“I think you’re right.” 

Danny’s suspect was about to say something, when he gave him a stern warning. “Not a word.”

“Can somebody read me my rights?” their suspect complained.

“Shut up!” Steve and Danny said simultaneously.

 

END CHAPTER EIGHT


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Steve deal with some of what is bothering them.

Later at HQ, Danny was tiredly working his way through their backlog of paperwork. He interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms out in front of himself. Turning away from his desk, he closed his eyes for a moment. “I can feel your eyes boring holes into my head, SuperSEAL. What’s going on?” Danny sighed loudly. “If we caught another case at this hour, I’m going to fake illness and sleep on my couch.”

Steve, who was leaning against the doorframe, stepped into the office. “What was today all about, Danno? You were totally random and please don’t be offended, but the last time you were that irrational, you were pregnant…”

“It was a scare.” Danny corrected.

“Huh?” Steve frowned as he sat down across from the smaller man.

“I wasn’t pregnant. That was a false alarm, but I get where you’re going with this.” Finally he turned to face Steve.

“Are you?” Steve persisted.

“Steve, forgive me if I don’t want to think about that right now. We have some serious issues to talk through.”

“Fine, Danno, let’s talk, but if we talk about issues, then your pregnancy is up for discussion too. Fair’s fair.” Steve regarded his husband, head to one side.

 

Both men looked in the direction of the outer doors as they heard them closing. They were momentarily distracted as their colleagues made their way towards Chin’s office.  
Steve made a decision. “Let’s finish up here and have a quiet evening in? I’m cooking. We can talk tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.”

 

Relief swept over Danny as he didn’t particularly want to talk about the fact that he’s been making healthier food choices lately, and not because he’s wanted to.

 

Steve didn’t grab Danny’s keys from him and didn’t complain about Danny’s driving or the slow moving traffic. He didn’t say very much at all, though Danny felt his eyes on him the entire journey home.

Steve cooked their dinner in silence and Danny allowed him some alone time while he bathed and fed their son, only bringing him into the kitchen for a goodnight hug. He pulled Danny into the hug as well and didn’t let go. Danny allowed him this also, that is, until Alex began to fuss.  
“Babe, you okay?” Danny spoke into Steve’s neck as he placed a soft kiss there.

“So much has happened in our house. I… I feel like maybe we should start over somewhere else.”

“No! Steve… just… no, okay? I thought we’d discussed this already. This house is who you are. You like to be in the water and this island is surrounded by it, sure, but it’s not the same as having the ocean in your backyard. We’re dealing with this is, right here, so no more talk of moving, okay? If I’m pregnant then why would you want to stress me further by making me move?”

Danny looked close to tears.

 

“Danno, hey, c’mere.” Steve gathered him close again, but a moment later held him away from him. “Did you just say…”

 

“I could be” came the reply.

 

“So that’s why you’ve been so difficult.” Steve shook his head at Danny’s stubborn expression.

 

“Difficult? What do you mean? I’m always difficult. So are you saying that I was more difficult than usual?”

 

“Uh huh. Are you happy? I mean, I am, but how do you feel about it?”

 

“Babe, I’m not sure yet. I think I am, so I’ve made a doctor’s appointment.” Danny’s mouth was set in a tight line as he spoke. “We’re going to have to be more responsible. Knocked up twice?”

He gave Steve a long look. 

“I’m sorry sweetheart.”

Danny was the one shaking his head this time as he huffed out a laugh. “I’m not sorry, at least I don’t think I am, nor am I blaming either of us. I’m just saying.” 

Steve was looking very amused, his smirk mildly irritating his husband. “Are you making fun of me in your head. You are, aren’t you? That’s twisted.”

 

“You’re very cute when you ramble.” 

 

“Yes, and I’m going to take my cute ass on upstairs to put our baby to bed. We’ll talk more when I come back down?”

 

Once Danny was back downstairs, the two men ate dinner, mostly in silence and it was afterwards, while Steve did the dishes, that Danny wrapped his arms around him from behind.

Danny’s hands were warm and felt good on him as clever fingers ghosted over his nipples. Steve couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped from his throat when his husband rolled a nipple between two fingers. “Jesus! Keep that up and I’d have to fuck you right here in the kitchen. You see? This is how you affect me and I have no resistance to you, Danno. I want to be inside you right now and stay inside you and fucking you is the closest I can get to doing that. Jesus, I know how that sounds, but it’s how I feel about you.”

 

“Nah uh. No sex in the kitchen, not with my back, but if you’re nice to me, I’ll let you do me in our bed.” Danny slowly turned Steve around, molding a hand over his husband’s growing erection. “C’mon, can’t wait for you to put this big cock of yours inside me.” He gave Steve’s cock a light squeeze and led him away to their bedroom.

Steve was surprisingly gentle. Their lovemaking was agonizingly slow and Danny was becoming impatient as his husband teased his prostate. He tried finish himself off with a hand on his aching cock, but Steve pinned his hands above his head as he continued to fuck him.

Just as Danny felt he couldn’t take any more, Steve wrapped a large hand around his erection and stroked him steadily until he cried out, spilling between them.

Wrung out and limp, Danny felt Steve pull out and move in behind him, thrusting back in with a strangled grunt. “Oh fuck! So tight!”  
He wound his arms around his husband and pulled him in close as he fucked him hard and fast. Incredibly Danny’s cock began to fill again drawing a surprised sound from Steve. Still sensitive from just having orgasmed, Danny whimpered each time Steve’s cock nudged at his sweet spot. 

“Steve, please. Make me come. Please… oh Christ!”

Danny could feel Steve flooding his insides with come and that thought alone pushed him over the edge.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Later as the two men lay tangled up together, Steve spoke. “I don’t know how to claim our home back. I see you and Alex just beyond my reach each time I close my eyes. I don’t like being out back because it reminds me of how helpless I felt to do anything. I don’t know how to deal with this. Danno, I don’t do helpless well. I always have a plan, even when I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have to figure this out on your own. We’re in this together.”

“Danny, you have issues with our backyard too. Why?” Steve rolled onto his side to face his husband, running a hand lightly down Danny’s arm.  
He moved closer until he was sharing Steve’s pillow. “It’s a reminder of how I could have lost everything. I never want to be in that kind of situation again. You, Alex and Grace are my life. I love our home, but somehow, having danger come into what is essentially our sanctuary, has spoiled that.”

“So you understand how I feel, Danno?”

“Yes”, came the quiet reply.

“Let’s have a party.” Steve’s smile was positively radiant.

“What? Why?” Danny frowned, but a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. He had since learned to live with his spouse’s leaps into seemingly random thoughts.

“Well, your birthday is coming up soon so we could throw our doors open, invite everyone. What do you think?” Steve looked unsure, as though he thought Danny might hate the idea, but Danny seemed to understand what his husband was attempting to do for both their sakes.

“Yeah.” He tried the word out, nodding. “Yeah, I haven’t celebrated my birthday like that in… well… ever.”

 

\-----S-D-----

 

The team was eating a particularly greasy lunch. Steve was unhappy with the collective choice, but majority rules so he wasn’t able to influence Danny’s choice, especially since he had been making him eat healthier meals since they suspected he was pregnant.

“In Jersey it isn’t junk food unless there’s a huge grease stain on the bag. I haven’t had a burger in forever because Grace worries and Steve forces me to eat bland food.” He smiled happily at his husband as he said this, communicating with a look that he was joking.

Steve pulled a disgusted face, producing laughter from his team. He had cleverly chosen a salad which Danny had refused and as everyone happily tucked into their food, Danny experienced the same kind of queasiness he had when he ate the muffin.

Danny made a small, unhappy sound. Steve noticed and this time spoke out. “You okay, D?”

All of his earlier humor gone, Danny used anger as a coping mechanism. “I’m fine.” came the sharp reply. He calmly rose from his seat and walked off toward the men’s room, leaving his husband feeling hurt and very confused.

The moment he closed the stall door behind him, Danny had to fight to control his nausea. “Oh Jesus! I fucking hate this!” He was doubled over desperately trying to compose himself when there was a knock at his stall door.

“Danno, you okay in there? What’s going on?” Steve sounded so concerned that Danny’s initial angry reaction instantly morphed into guilt.

Steve stood there, but no answer came. He decided to sit down and wait it out. The sounds of dry heaving always made Steve wince in sympathy. A few minutes later the sounds from the other side of the door stopped. Steve's patience paid off as after a tired sigh from his husband, the stall door opened.

Danny didn’t come out.

Instead, he sat down, mirroring his spouse’s position on the floor. 

Steve scrubbed a hand over his face. “Are you going to be able to cope until your appointment?”

“I don’t know. Maybe… Christ Steve! This is like de ja vu.” Danny moved closer to Steve, resting his head on his shoulder. “I’m just pissed because it seems your children won’t let me enjoy the food I love.”

Danny knew his husband wasn’t referring to his changing eating habits. “We can’t let my possible pregnancy stop us from doing our jobs. I’ll be okay.”

Danny waited on a reply and none came. “Steve?”

“Okay.” Steve squeezed Danny’s shoulder but Danny didn’t feel comforted. He was concerned about Steve’s reaction, though for the moment couldn’t get anything else from him.

 

END CHAPTER NINE


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hiccup along the road to happiness.

Danny was having a terrible time with nausea and was looking quite depressed. Steve was concerned as he wasn’t eating very much and was losing weight. 

“Baby, I thought you said you were okay with this.” Steve looked crestfallen. He had a firm hold of Danny’s hand as though afraid that he might bolt.

“I never said I was okay with getting pregnant again so soon. All I recall saying was that we’d cross that particular bridge when we came to it. I was kind of burying my head in the sand.” Danny’s ‘isn’t it obvious’ tone irritated Steve, but he understood that his husband was upset.

“Oh sweetheart. What do you want to do? Do you want this baby? I’ll support you through whatever you decide. I love you.”

Danny didn’t like Steve’s tone. He seemed depressed as well and Danny was horrified at the thought that his husband believed he didn’t want their child. “Of course I want this baby. It’s yours… ours. How could I reject anything that is part of you? I… I’m just not feeling ready. I had a rough time before and now… Steve, I don’t know how I feel.”

“Danno, we have our past experience to go on and all we can do is deal with each day as it comes.”

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Steve and Danny were in pursuit of a suspect when Steve pointed to his right, indicating that they should split up and corner their criminal. Steve was less than happy with having to bring Danny out with him, but he’d had no choice as all members of the team had been busy. His husband had reassured him that he was up to the task so here they were.

Danny, being constantly hungry these days, used that as his motivation to apprehend their suspect quickly. He looked disgusted as he half dragged his charge toward where Steve was waiting. 

“Here, you deal with prince charming.” Danny said in answer to Steve’s look of open admiration. It became very apparent why Danny moved away. Danny sniffed his hands and pulled a face. Their suspect was rather malodorous and Danny looked positively nauseated. Steve put a hand up against their evil-smelling perpetrator as he motioned for him to move ahead.

Steve being Steve didn’t do well with foul smelling criminals either, so Danny took a deep breath and headed back over to help his husband. Their suspect stumbled which caused enough of a distraction for his goal. He took full advantage of the fact that Steve and Danny would assist him and started to run off.

Danny attempted to stop him, but was elbowed in the side for his troubles. Steve was horrified and lunged at the criminal. Two HPD officers, noticing the scuffle, rushed over to take the vile smelling criminal away before Steve could do anything.

Steve turned to Danny who was almost doubled over, holding his side. He had his other hand over his belly and that worried Steve more than anything else.

“Oh my god Danno! Are you okay?!” Steve reached for his husband just as he collapsed. Danny was groaning and red faced, struggling to catch his breath.

Steve immediately swept Danny up and carried him over to the car. He broke every speed limit on the way to the hospital, looking at Danny every few seconds as though afraid he might disappear. “Hang on, baby. It’ll be okay.”

Danny didn’t say a word, instead, he leaned against the window, clutching his belly. Steve reached out to place a calming hand over Danny’s. The other man uttered a high pitched whine and broke down. 

 

“I don’t want to lose our baby! Steve… I’m sorry.”

 

“It’ll be okay, Danno. We’re almost there.” He fought down his own panic and the urge to thump the steering wheel. 

 

Once at the hospital, Steve rushed round to Danny’s side of the car and was met by his husband’s doctor who was also just arriving. Danny was taken away immediately, leaving Steve alone in the waiting area. He was pacing like a caged tiger when Kono and Chin arrived with coffee and food. He waved away the food, but took the offered coffee. The coffee was very sweet, he thought, the way Danny liked his, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

“We heard about what happened to Danny. Any news?” Chin gave him a sympathetic look.

The ER doctor appeared along with Danny’s doctor just as the team were about to sit down. Steve was up again, rushing over.

“How is he?” Steve was beside himself with worry and didn’t care about pleasantries.

“Commander, your husband is going to be fine, but he would want to avoid further trauma to the abdomen. He is stable so it is fine if you are wanting to see him immediately. Please excuse me. I have to go unfortunately.” The ER doctor turned and walked off.

 

“We ran some tests, commander. We’re you aware that your husband is pregnant?” Danny’s doctor eyed Steve with concern.

“We had our suspicions, but we were waiting for confirmation from you.”

“Commander, you could tell me that this is none of my concern, but is there an ongoing risk of injury? If this is an occupational hazard, then I would suggest taking your husband off active duty for the duration of his pregnancy.”

“I was thinking along those lines already. Thanks. Can I take him home with me?”

“We want to keep him in for observation, so, I’m afraid not, but you may stay with him. Also, when you go to see him, make sure that he rests and no stress. I would like for you to keep the original appointment if this is possible.”

Steve nodded his agreement and motioned for Chin and Kono to join him. Kono and Chin spoke to Danny for a few minutes and left soon after. The child minder brought Alex to say goodnight to Danny who had insisted on seeing his baby before his bedtime. Steve looked on and when Alex left with his sitter, he settled down next to his exhausted husband.

“I want to go home. I want to sleep in my own bed with my husband.” Danny was overly emotional. Steve placed a hand on his arm and rose to kiss his forehead.

“I know, Danno, but we have to be patient, okay? We’re pregnant! That is something good, but you really scared me today. It looks like you and the baby are going to be fine, but you’ll have to stay here tonight. I’m sorry sweetheart. It is necessary, but I’m going to stay here with you, okay? I’m not going anywhere until I have you at home. Together. We’re doing this together. I love you so much.”

“I was so worried Steve. I’m sorry. I’m going to have to be more careful. Today could’ve been bad.” Danny was tearful and tense so Steve got onto the bed with him.

“Danny, I need for you to stay calm. You are fine. The baby is fine. Take a deep breath for me.” He held Danny close, stroking his hair until he settled down once more. It wasn’t very long before Danny was sound asleep in his husband’s arms.

Danny was allowed to go home the next day. Kono and Chin greeted them as they came up to the front door. Chin grinned at Steve’s look of surprise.

Kono reached them first. “Our aunts cooked you enough food to feed an army. We left everything in your refrigerator. We reckoned that you’d both be tired so we took Alex to our aunts. We can bring him over now or a little later if you’d like a short while to catch your breath. He’s okay. He’s had a great time so far.”

“Good to see you’re looking better, brah.” Chin pulled Danny into a hug. “We put on some coffee for you and there’s lunch in the oven. We’ll check back in later.” Chin was already getting into his cousin’s car as he waved a cheerful goodbye.

Danny flopped down onto the couch the moment he was indoors, sliding sideways as he closed his eyes.

“Oh no you don’t. Let’s get you upstairs.” When Danny didn’t move, he gently lifted him off the couch and walked towards the stairs, noting that Danny must be exhausted as there were no indignant sounds of protest.

After having settled Danny in bed, he stepped into the bathroom. Only after moving in under the spray, did he think about the events of the last couple of days. Danny was pregnant again and he was happy. Not once since being back on the islands did he dream of getting married and having a family so quickly. He was happy.

Danny was watching him when he walked back into the bedroom. He stopped toweling himself, momentarily surprised. “I thought you were asleep.”

Danny was smiling. “That’s how all of this started.”

Steve frowned, confused, but smiling. “I’m not sure I follow.”

Danny continued. “All that time ago when we all crammed ourselves into my office. You walked in wearing no shirt, a towel over your head. Did you know that’s why I ended up with hot coffee down the front of my shirt?”

Steve sat down next to his wistful spouse, gently running a hand over his hair. “You never told me that.” Steve’s laughter was lighthearted. “So, I wasn’t the only one. I nearly choked on my coffee that day. Your shirt came off and I was lost. I thought Kono liked you and I ended up making an even bigger fool of myself.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Danny looked incredulous as he shook his head.

“As I recall, I was having a really crappy day and I didn’t feel like making it worse by coming over like a pervert.” Steve lay down beside Danny, resting his head on his chest.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Steve took some time off work and as the day of Danny’s appointment dawned, Danny looked nervous.   
“Danno, it’ll be fine. The doc’s already confirmed your pregnancy, so seeing as you’ve been okay so far, I’m sure everything will be just great.”

Danny rolled his eyes at his overly positive husband. “There’s a lot that could go wrong. Look at who I’m married to. Though, seriously, I’m just a little apprehensive, is all. It seems like everything is finally falling into place and I keep waiting for something to happen to ruin it.” 

Steve gave him a look that conveyed understanding and as they pulled out of the driveway, he placed a reassuring hand on Danny’s shoulder. 

Danny’s doctor confirmed that he was in good health and that the baby was fine. Steve decided that it was a good time to broach the topic of taking his husband from active duty on the way back from the doctor’s office.

“I’m okay with that. I don’t like being office bound, but the baby is a priority. You can breathe now, SuperSEAL.” Danny gave his husband a wicked sidelong look, bright blue eyes twinkling as he broke into a happy smile.

Steve was concerned and expected some resistance to the idea, but was pleased that he and Danny were on the same page. “I’ll exhale after your reaction to the fact that your mom is flying out here well before the party. She said she missed you and wanted to see her grandchildren. She asked to stay and help out with Alex for a little while, if that’s okay.”

“She’s expecting me to freak out like the last time, but I’m over that. I don’t mind having help, though. I’ve been feeling really tired, Steve. It means you can go back to work and not have to mother me.”

“It also means I’ll get your mom to monitor what you eat.” Steve gave his husband an intense look.

“Won’t be necessary. Junk food, nausea, your kids – enough said.” 

 

END CHAPTER TEN


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve presents Danny with and idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was initially going to be the final chapter, but I will add a short final chapter over the next few days. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this story thus far.

“It’s just following up a lead and she’s a little elderly lady.” Danny was seated at his desk, poring over case files, toying with his pen. He was trying to talk Steve into letting him go along to question a possible witness.

“No Danny.” Steve’s tone was firm, but his face said that he wanted Danny along.

“It’s a retirement home. Safe as houses.” Danny gave Steve a very cute, but enquiring toothy grin.

Steve let out a loud breath. “Alright, you’ve twisted my arm, but you stay close by. No wandering off, okay? Christ, you’re manipulative!” Steve was laughing as he gestured for Danny to follow.

“Whatever Steve. Everyone in your family knows that you have a rubber arm. You’re such a pushover when it comes to Alex as well. Anyway, you know I’ll go crazy doing paperwork all day. I’m doing everyone’s, so not fair. My doc said no stress, so think of this as stress relief.”   
Danny was still smiling as he quickly rose from his desk to join his husband, happy to leave his administrative duties for another day.  
Steve put a careful hand on the back of Danny’s neck as they walked out of the office together. He was unnaturally happy to have Danny with him and felt much less tense. Danny turned, giving him a sappy smile and slung an arm around his waist as they walked out together.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

“You’re very quiet. You’re not feeling sick are you? Are you okay, Danno?” Steve was worried that Danny was taking on more than his workload.

“Uh huh. Yeah.” Danny looked up then and placed both palms on the table. “We really have to see a therapist. I know I said it before and I was serious then, but we’ll have to talk about this ‘thing’, Steve. We both know it’s there and something that I’ve learned over time is that identifying a problem is not the same as dealing with it and solving it. I think we ‘re out of our depth here, babe. We need help with this.”

“Okay” came the quiet reply.

“Great”, Danny said brightly, but frowned as he resumed eating. “We have an appointment for next week.”

Steve looked up sharply, but merely shook his head, laughing.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Danny’s mother arrived two days later. 

Danny was in Steve’s office when his phone rang. Steve who looked interested until he was satisfied that it wasn’t case related, turned his attention to some files on his desk.   
“That was my mom. She’s hired a car for the duration of her stay and insisted on driving herself to the house from the airport.” Danny rolled his eyes as he pocketed his phone.

Steve nodded his understanding. “Well, she knows where we keep the spare key so she can let herself in if we’re not there.”

Danny was out with Alex and when his mother eventually arrived at the house. On his return to the house, she was nowhere to be found.   
Weighed down with bags and his son, he called out. When she answered, it was from the backyard where she was sunning herself on a lounger. Balancing Alex on his hip, he left his shopping bags on the counter, before stepping through the back door. It was also then that the baby began to fuss.

Danny wanted to speak to his mother, but found he couldn’t physically bring himself to walk across the lawn. Clara, hearing her grandson, called over to her son and noticed that he looked rather pale. 

“Danny? Are you okay? You don’t look so good!” Clara was up and off the lounger, rushing to Danny who was almost hyperventilating. Afraid that he might drop his son, she carefully took Alex from his arms and led him back into the kitchen, just as Steve was arriving.

“Jesus, Danno! Are you okay? What happened?! ” Steve supported Danny from his other side, making him sit down immediately.

“I think he’s having a panic attack. Steve what is going on here?” Clara handed Alex to Steve as she busied herself with getting her son a glass of water.

It was Danny who spoke, shaking his head and gesturing wildly. “No… no mom. He didn’t do anything. Don’t be so mean to Steve. He’s been amazing. It’s a long, complicated story, but we’ll fill you in when we’re ready, okay?”

Steve was very secretly pleased that Danny was so fiercely protective of him and couldn’t stop smiling.

Danny was as happy to have his mother’s help as Clara was to see her son. They fell into the routine that they had had before with astonishing ease. He felt much lighter having his mother to talk to, so one day went as far as the back door. Looking at Alex, trusting in his arms, he decided that he wasn’t quite ready as lightning sometimes struck twice in the same place.

Turning on his heel, he collided with his mother. “Danny, are you okay? You realize that you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“It’s not just about me, mom. Besides, I’m not ready.” He failed to keep the impatient tone from his voice and was irritated by the curious look his mother gave him as he brushed past her.  
That evening while Danny was in the shower, Clara cornered Steve in the living room. “Danny is overprotective of Alex and hardly ever allows me to take my grandson anywhere alone.”

“I had no idea. I’ll talk to him.” Steve was aware that Danny worried when he went off, sometimes without another member of the team for backup and wondered if Danny was coping at all. 

 

Broaching the topic proved to b a challenge. Danny’s fiery nature made the conversation difficult. “Steve, don’t think that I haven’t noticed you making unscheduled trips home, supposedly for lunch and sex.” 

Steve turned a deep shade of red at his husband’s words. 

“You never come home for lunch. You’re struggling with this too. Can you just get off my case until our appointment? Please? I’m asking you very, very nicely. Mom will just have to deal.” Danny sounded tearful again to Steve and it seemed he realized it, further annoying him.

Steve pulled his husband into a tight hug. “I admit that I worry about you and Alex. How could I not? I don’t see you for an entire day sometimes and when you don’t always answer a text message, I worry even more.”

He admitted to being worried when he didn’t see Danny all day.

 

\-----S-D-----

 

Both Steve and Danny were rather skittish on the day of their therapist’s appointment. Danny’s mother couldn’t get him to eat anything as he made himself sick when he tried.   
Steve stopped at Danny’s favorite coffee shop on the way to get him a hot chocolate topped with cinnamon which was the one drink that didn’t make him nauseous. They both relaxed afterwards as they sat in the car.  
The first few minutes with their therapist was awkward, but Steve, once he started, couldn’t stop the flow of words.   
“Danny I miss being with you during the day and I sometimes worry so much, I feel physically ill.” Steve was concentrating on the small space between his feet, tightly clasping his hands. Eventually he turned his head and looked directly at his husband.

Danny was astounded. Steve’s words sounded anguished. He made a move towards Steve to try and comfort him, but Steve put a hand up to stop him. Danny could see the imprints of his fingers on that hand.

“No, Danno, I have to get this out of my system. I know our jobs are more dangerous than most, but I’ve made adjustments. I’ve tried so hard. It’s been difficult for me, but I changed how I live. You and our kids are my entire life. I love you so much it scares me. I worry all of the time and I now realize that I will never worry less. I need to learn to react to it differently. I just don’t know how to do this yet. I guess that’s why we’re here.”

“Your worries are my worries Steve. I’ve been sick with worry ever since I’m no longer allowed in the field. I used to have your back, but now I’m unable to look out for you. It’s not that I don’t trust our team mates. It’s just that I don’t want to get that dreaded call. I don’t think I can deal with that and poor Alex has had to put up with me watching him all the time and not allowing him to do much. I know it’s counterproductive, but I don’t know how to let go. It’s how I ended up on this island.”

Steve rose from his seat just then and walked over to the window. He looked out over the lawn for a long time before turning around. “I’m scared. I don’t feel like I’ll be able to protect you and Alex. I’ve lost so much already and I think if I lost anyone else, I’ll fall apart and I’ll never be able to put myself together again. I don’t know how to get past this.”

He looked as though he had come to a decision.   
“Danno, I’m going to take time out from active duty. I mean, as head of the task force, my role was kind of meant to be administrative anyway, so it can be done. I’ll only be in the field if it’s absolutely necessary.”

Steve’s revelation caught Danny unawares. He opened his mouth and closed it again, frowning. “Are you sure that…”

“Yes, it isn’t a sacrifice. I actually want to do it. It’s a predictable lifestyle, but I think we can both do with a little predictability right now.”

Danny went over to his husband and placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in close, never losing eye contact. “Are you sure this is what you want… that you can handle this?”

Steve broke into a smile. “Yes, Danno, I’m sure. It wasn’t a choice I had to make. It was a solution I was looking for – and it’s perfect. Now we can plan your party together.”  
He pulled Danny in further and kissed his temple, whispering. “Love you.”

“And I love you.” Danny didn’t care that their therapist was looking on as he clung to his husband.

 

END CHAPTER


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny finally get beyond their difficulties to have the future that they both longed for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read, left comments and given kudos. I hope that you have all enjoyed the journey along with the characters.

In the following weeks everyone that Steve and Danny knew arrived on the island. Steve had adapted surprisingly well to office life which was mainly due to the fact that he could keep an eye on Danny.

It was a quiet afternoon when Danny was buried under paperwork that he sent Steve a message from his phone. It simply read: Need some distraction.

Steve, on hearing the tone from his phone, read the message and smiled. Sensing movement from his office doorway, Danny looked up to see Steve standing there, staring at him, a hungry look in his eyes. 

That look went straight to Danny’s cock as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Steve didn’t say a word as he made his way over to Danny’s desk. Pulling Danny up out of his chair, he kissed him hard. It was then that Danny came to his senses.

“Steve, not here, babe. There are admin staff around.” He was squirming, trying to move away from his husband who was trying to push him down on the desk.

Steve growled in frustration, but let Danny go. “I’m sorry Danny, but Christ, I’m so horny!”

Danny, who was still lying back on his desk, looked towards his office window. “Oh what the hell! Come here!” he said as he pulled Steve back down on top of him.

 

\------S-D-----

 

Steve and Danny planned his party together and to Steve’s delight, Danny was very excited. When the big day finally arrived, Steve asked his mother in law to get Danny out of the house while they put the final touches on the backyard.

Danny had every intention of seeing everything as it happened and stayed away the minimum amount of time that it would take to get the ice Steve had asked for. He was out of the car the moment his mother stopped in the driveway and moved with surprising speed.

Clara rushed after her son, only managing to catch up with him near the kitchen door, where Steve stepped in front of him.

“Whoa, Danno! Where are you going? Why are you back so soon?” Steve was struggling to keep Danny from moving round his side and out the door, giving Clara an enquiring look.

“I hate surprises, babe. You know that.” Danny was still trying to get through the door.

“Danny, why don’t you go up, get showered and changed? Everything will be ready by the time you’re done, okay?” Steve gently turned Danny around and patted him on the ass.

“You know how to ruin my fun, but I’ll go.” Danny straightened up, turned and walked towards the living room.

It didn’t take long for Steve and Clara to finish in the backyard and they soon threw the doors open as guests began to arrive. 

“Where’s Danny? Steve looked around and felt ashamed that he had completely forgotten about his husband in his excitement to create his surprise.  
Steve decided to look for Danny upstairs, where he found him nodding off in a bath that was growing cold.

“Hey, I thought you were coming for a shower. The water’s getting cold. C’mon, let’s get you out of here.” Steve helped Danny out of the bath and wrapped a towel around him.  
Danny was changed and back at the kitchen door a few minutes later. “I’m not covering my eyes. I’m not six.”

Steve who was obscuring Danny’s view of the yard, merely laughed as he moved out his way. 

Anything else that Danny was about to voice went unsaid as he took a look around. The backyard had been transformed. Everywhere there were fairylights twinkling in the evening light. For all his previous bluster, Danny took a tentative step, Steve holding his hand the entire time.  
Steve stood beside him. “It’s okay Danny. Everyone we know is out there.”

All of their friends and family were waiting near the water. Music floated their way as Danny walked out to greet their guests.

Later as Steve danced with Danny, he placed a hand on his belly. “Another son. Thank you Danno.”

“I still can’t believe you missed my scan.” Danny said as he handed Steve the photograph.

“If you give me a chance, I’ll make it up to you.” Steve kissed Danny lightly, pulling him in close.

 

Steve mysteriously disappeared a few times during the evening and appeared as he stepped up to the microphone to get everyone’s attention. Danny, who was talking to Kono, turned as he heard his husband’s voice.

Mary, who had just joined them along with Catherine, spoke up. “Jesus, I hope he isn’t going to start singing.”

“What’s the boss up to Danny?” Kono placed her empty glass on a passing tray as she was given a fresh glass of champagne. 

“I don’t know, as long as he doesn’t break anything or blow something up, I’m happy.” Danny was grinning at Kono as he was called up to the small stage where the band was currently having a break.  
When he reached Steve, the SEAL pulled him up onto the platform and placed a sweet kiss on the palm of his hand, making Danny blush.

Without warning, Steve started talking. “I’m not sure if you all know how I met Danny. Well, he pointed a gun at me and I was in love.”

Everyone laughed at the joke, but then Steve turned and was speaking more to Danny than the guests gathered around them.

“You didn’t let me get away with crazy stuff anymore and for the first time I knew what it felt like to have someone truly care about me. Then finding out that we were matched? That finally made up my mind to not let you go. You are the most amazing person and you have given me a family, something I thought I would never have.”  
Steve took hold of both Danny’s hands. “Can I share our news, Danno?”

Danny smiled and nodded.

Without letting go of Danny, Steve turned to their guests once more. “We have some happy news to share. In a few months a new baby will be joining our family.”

Amid applause from well wishers, Danny blushed even more furiously, but he looked happy nonetheless.

Kono rushed up first to congratulate Danny and Steve.

Much later as the evening was drawing to a close, Steve dragged Danny away from Chin and Clara in the living room where some guests had settled with coffees. He directed their guests to the backyard.  
Once everyone was outside Steve smiled down at Danny. “Happy birthday Danno.” Steve turned and looked up.

A moment later the sky exploded into beautiful bright colors, bathing their backyard in light.

“This is my way of celebrating your arrival in my life and to say ‘thank you’ for everything you’ve given me.”

“Steve, it’s amazing.” Danny’s voice was cracking a little, making Steve hold him closer.

“Danny, this is your home and no one can change that or take it away from us. This time we have happy memories about this part of the house. No more bad stuff.”

 

Months later, Steve and Danny were having an afternoon picnic in their backyard with their young son, Alex and his baby brother, Drew, who was more like Steve than anyone wanted to admit.

 

THE END


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